Finding Their Lost Light
by Morningstar-Girl
Summary: Lucy wasn't the one who came to warn the past of the dragons. It was someone else, someone that everyone would have never thought of coming up with this idea to save their futures...This person was Natsu. A twist on the Dragon War arc.
1. Chapter I

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter I**

"Natsu, are we there yet?" Lucy asked as the blonde mage trudged through the dirt on the ground.

"We're almost there Luce," Natsu said in front of the group. "Quit getting your lacy panties in a twist!"

Lucy immediately blushed, her face rivalling the colour of Erza's crimson hair. Happy let out an agreeing '_Aye Sir!_" as Wendy and Yukino had a light shade of pink dusting their cheeks and Mira let out a light giggle.

"Sh-shut up Natsu!" she yelled.

Currently, the rescue team were making their way through the dungeon underneath the castle. The eerie green torches lining the walls made it difficult to see around them but the group knew they would be fine. After all, they had taken out those executioners. Bones from the former prisoners that were sent here before them cracked as the group stepped on them. There was no real point in avoiding the bones, they were littered everywhere on the ground.

Soon enough, the amount of bones and skeletons seemed to thin out until there weren't any left. They all agreed that it was because they were nearing the exit of this eerie place.

"How's that guy doing Loke?" Happy asked, flying over to the leader of the zodiac keys and to the knight on his back. "He seems out cold."

Loke looked over his shoulder to look at the man from the corner of his eye. "He'll be fine once we lay him down somewhere."

"That's good," Carle said.

"Doesn't mean that we _have_ too," Happy said. "He used Lucy and Yukino for something that sounded evil."

"Despite what's happened he managed to look out for Lucy and Yukino," Mira said, shaking a finger to the blue cat. "We should be more grateful."

"Fine," Happy said, flying back to where Lucy was and plopping on her shoulder.

"Tired Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Aye~!" the Exceed said with a sleepy tone in his voice.

Lucy smiled and lifted the cat from her shoulder and held him in her arms. The blonde smiled as the cat nestled in his grasp, his soft fur tickling her a bit.

Natsu was looking over his shoulder, an unreadable look adorned his face that Lucy couldn't make out. She picked up her pace, leaving Wendy behind with Yukino, and walking beside her pink-haired partner.

"Something wrong Natsu?" she asked.

"What?"

"You seem…off, somehow," Lucy said. She turned away and looked in front of her. "I'm just worried about you. A lot's been happening and who knows what's gonna happen now."

Natsu looked at her from the corner of his onyx eyes and raised a hand to place on her head. She turned back to look at him, being met with an all-too familiar grin on his face.

"We'll be fine Luce! Don't you worry about a thing!" Natsu was being genuine, which Lucy felt relieved for. If the happiest member of their guild was feeling excited, then there shouldn't be much to fear.

"Alright." The blonde sighed, closing her eyes and her head facing forward. "I wonder how final match went today, ne?"

Natsu nodded, "They'll be fine! Our guild's team is made up the strongest members in the guild! We'll definitely win!"

Lucy laughed.

His sharp nose picked up a scent in the direction they were heading. "I think we're close by."

As soon as he said it, a large door came into view. Everyone stopped in front of it. Loke let Arcadios slid gently off his back to stretch. Mira and Yukino took a breather as Wendy checked up on everyone's wounds. Natsu and Lucy stood in front of the door, intrigued by whatever they were going to face behind it.

"Something's going to happen," Lucy said.

Natsu nodded. "I know, you can feel it too huh?"

"Mm. There's something telling me that it's going to be bad…And that we're not going to-" Natsu covered the blonde's mouth with his hand. "Mmm?! Ma-thu?!"

"Don't say that Lucy…" Natsu took his hand off her, placing it on her shoulder. "We're gonna be fine! I'm here, remember? Nothing's gonna happen to you or anyone else in the guild, alright Luce?"

Lucy smiled softly to her partner and nodded quickly. "Rig-"

Suddenly, the door opened slowly, light flooding in through the crack. Standing in the doorway was a hooded figure. The figure was clearly a man, as they had the built of a man. The light eventually faded away, allowing the group to see the man more clearly.

His face was hidden behind a hood, but he looked up when he sensed the group's presence. His cloak was a very deep navy-coloured blue with white trims on the edges. His pants were white with black sandals on his feet. Despite his body being mostly covered by the blue cloak he wore, the group could see a black cloak with gold trims on the ends wrapped around his waist.

Natsu sniffed the air when he saw this new person. He didn't smell like a threat, but there was plenty of lingering scents around him that made him cautious. The fire Dragon Slayer smelt dried and old blood and stale scents…particularly the lingering scent of fresh water mixed and pine…Lucy's scent.

The man before them began to mumble words under his laboured breathing. His voice was low, to the point where the two Dragon Slayers of the group couldn't catch what he was saying to them.

"What did you say?" Wendy asked.

The man looked around, searching for someone in the group. He stopped when his sights were set on a blonde mage.

"Lucy…" he whispered.

"What?" she asked.

The man took a couple of steps towards Lucy, making Natsu step in front of her in a protective stance. The fire Dragon Slayer's fists were clenched, ready to make the first move if needed.

"I…I wanted to see you, Lucy…So much…" the man said.

Lucy's breathing spiked as she clenched her jaw shut. She was scared, she didn't know what was happening. Maybe, this was that bad hunch she was feeling earlier.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked, his voice sounding like a low growl.

The man ignored Natsu, continuing walking towards Lucy with a hand reaching out to her. "Lucy…"

Natsu lit his fists with flames. There was an angry gleam in his onyx eyes that Lucy noticed. "Who are you?! What do you want with Lucy?!"

The man before them stopped, lowering his arm before sighing. He lifted his arm once again, only this time, he aimed for his hood. "It's been a while…since I saw everyone like this…Alive and well, that is."

As the man's hood fell back, everyone's eyes widened at the sight of the man's appearance. Lucy gasped when she saw the man's hair colour and Natsu lowered his stance, simply staring at him. The man's dark eyes looked directly at Lucy before they filled up with tears.

"I missed you Luce," he said as his tears started streaming down his face.

Lucy began breathing in uneven patterns before she said a single name.

"_Natsu…_"


	2. Chapter II

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter II**

"Wh-why are there two Natsus?" Wendy asked, a little scared. She turned to look at the oldest mage in the group. "Mira-" The blue-haired girl paused. "…San?"

The white-haired barmaid was pale and her eyes were bleak. "Two…Natsus…Imagine what Master would say?"

Natsu didn't know what to think…He was staring at himself, reaching out for Lucy. The fire Dragon Slayer didn't know what to exactly think about seeing another version of himself, but he didn't let Lucy's wellbeing slip from his mind. With an arm extended to his other version, Natsu pushed Lucy against his back, making sure that nothing would get to her if anything happened.

The blonde mage was stunned, staring into the same onyx eyes as the Dragon Slayer currently protecting her from…another Natsu. The blonde dropped her arms from their position of holding Happy in them, to her sides and causing the blue Exceed to plop to the ground.

"Lu-" The other Natsu stopped walking and fell to his knees. His eyes faded before they closed. "…Cy…" He began to fall over to the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy ran passed said Dragon Slayer, over to the one of the ground. She shifted his head on to her lap.

The younger Dragon Slayer came up beside the blonde, checking up on the man in her lap. Wendy breathed out a sigh of relief. "He's just unconscious. He's lacking a lot of strength."

"What's going on?" Yukino asked.

Lucy gasped at the sudden movement coming from the Dragon Slayer on her lap. His arms wrapped themselves around Lucy's waist, holding them in their close position with no way for Lucy to wiggle her way from without help. The Natsu on her lap snuggled his head deeper into her lap for more contact. Lucy glanced at the slayer's sleeping face, noticing that tears were pricking his eyes. Her eyes lingered around the man's body. She noticed that this Natsu's features looked older than the one behind her. Her breathing slightly hitched when she saw the amount of scars that were lingering on his body.

_What's…going on? This Natsu looks like he's been through hell and back?_ Lucy thought. She snapped out of her thoughts when a warm hand was placed on her shoulders. She looked up, breathing out their name. "Natsu."

"We better keep moving," he said, lifting his other version over his shoulder and holding him up with his other arm. "Who knows when guards will be coming around for us."

Lucy nodded, about to stand on her own when Natsu reached out to her. She smiled at him and let him pull her up to her feet.

"Let's get out of here then."

* * *

Natsu felt himself being lifted and placed on someone's…shoulders…Or back maybe. He was too tired to care at the moment. He was physically drained, unable to eat properly in years…More importantly and significantly, he was emotionally drained. Finding Lucy in this era was his only priority, holding on to the fact that he would see her again was the only thing keeping him going for so long.

His mind began to wander from the noises surrounding him. He'd be safe in his friends, so he would take this opportunity to get some proper rest.

That didn't last long though.

His nightmares began to plague his mind. Fire surrounding him. Shattered buildings and glass around him. Hot and sticky blood pooling out of people on the ground. Destruction was everywhere that the eye could see. A large building made of stone was crumbling to the ground at the sound of a terrifying roar echoed through the ruined city air. Hanging off the building was a burnt sign that said **_FAIRY TAIL_** on it.

Standing in the shadows casted by the fires and building were four hooded figures and a flying creature. One had long scarlet hair that was tied back. Another had bandages covering their bare chest and gripped a dirtied white ghost-like doll in their fist. The flying creature's wings were bent as if the creature itself was upset. One of the last two figures had their arm pulling the smaller figure next to them closer to their bruised body. The other gripped their right arm, resting their head on the other's chest. Shoulder-length golden hair blowing over their face.

"_We better get out of here_," the scarlet-haired figure said. Her voice was stern, but on the verge of breaking. "_It's going to be a long journey._"

"_Everyone's counting on us_," the figure gripping the doll said. His voice was hard as he spoke, loosening his grip on the doll shoving the doll into his pocket. "_We have to get there._"

"_Aye_," the flying creature said. His voice, that would usually be full of enthusiasm, was dull and lifeless.

The smaller figure on the larger one's chest began to shake. Their teeth clenched together as two thin streams of tears began falling from their hidden eyes. "_I'm…scared…_" Her voice was already broken beyond any possibility of repair.

The larger figure held her closer to them. "_I won't let anything happen to you Luce._"

The girl pulled her head away from his chest, her soft brown eyes brimming with tears looking up to him. "_Natsu…_"

Onyx eyes locked with hers as a grin appeared on his face. "_I promise we'll make it. It's better when we're all together, right?_"

Lucy's eyes widened before softening to a warm gaze to the Dragon Slayer. "_Right._"

Natsu's grin grew larger. He bent down slightly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "_That's my girl!_"

Chuckling erupted in the air as the flying creature flew circles above the blonde and pink-haired mages. "_They llliiike each other,_" he said as the other two smiled and laughed with the creature.

Natsu grinned while Lucy blushed and turned her head away from them. "_Shut it, Happy._"

Natsu grabbed Lucy's right hand, gripping it tight in his. He looked to the sky, dragons were flying from the ruined city of Magnolia. Hopefully they wouldn't encounter any of the creatures on their journey to the capital where the Eclipse Gate was. If Levy was correct, they would be able to stop this from happening…by going into the past. They had to make it to the gate, or everyone's deaths would be in vain. Even if one of them made it they would be enough to warn their past selves about what's to come and stop it before it starts.

"_Let's go then_," Natsu said, looking to two pairs of brown eyes and a pair of dark blue. "_Happy, Erza, Gray, Lucy._"

Natsu's breathing hitched. It was he was coming back to consciousness and the others noticed.

"He's waking up!" Happy said.

"Natsu, this is a good place to stop," Mira said. Oh, how Natsu missed the calming voice of the barmaid.

"Put him down here." His eyes nearly watered at the sound of Lucy's bell-like voice entering the conversation.

"Right," he heard himself say.

Natsu felt his weight shift around and being placed on the ground while leaning against something. He felt a hand on his and smelt his blonde partner's scent directly in front of him. His eyes started opening, slowly due to the change in light.

Once his onyx eyes were open, he began looking around. They were in an elaborate room and he was leaning against a pillar. There was a long table in the room with equally elaborate chairs.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"The dining room," Yukino said.

Natsu's head whipped around, looking at the people surrounding him. Mira had a hand on her chest in a worried gesture, not ripped to shreds the last time he saw her…in tact. Yukino had her head tilted to the side in wonder, he couldn't remember the last time he saw the white-haired Celestial mage. Wendy was standing in between Pantherlily and Carle, not weeping in the corner, older, and having Happy and Lily in her tight grip from losing her Exceed partner. His other self had his arms crossing his unscarred chest with their-_HIS_ Exceed partner on his shoulder. Happy was in one piece, having both wings attached to his back.

He felt pressure on his hand. Looking in front of him was his blonde's other self. She was still in one piece, not broken in any way physically or mentally. There was a look of concern on her face. Usually he would be the first to make sure that look didn't stay on her pretty face long…But she was currently worried about him.

"Natsu…right?" she asked, unsure about how to approach him.

No surprise, he would be equally freaking out if there wasn't a life-or-death situation at hand. Natsu nodded. "Yeah. I'm Natsu."

"How does that work?" Natsu asked. "Is it like Gemini's prank or something?"

"It's not Gemini," Lucy said, "I would know…Besides…" Lucy's brown eyes looked into the onyx eyes before her. "It feels like this person _is_ you Natsu…somehow."

"I am this Natsu," he said. His onyx eyes locked with his other counterpart's onyx pair. "I am Natsu seven years into the future."

"EH?!" everyone exclaimed.

Wendy, being the first one to step out of the shock, was the one to started questioning. "But how-"

Future Natsu couldn't hold back any longer. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her to his chest.

"Eh?"

Natsu wrapped one arm around her back while the other held her head against his shoulder. The blonde mage felt him shaking. Turning her head, she saw Natsu and Happy about to intervene, but she held up her hand to stop them once she heard the Natsu holding her begin to whimper.

Natsu buried his face in the crook of Lucy's neck, not caring that he was crying or that Lucy would get mad at him later for getting her hair wet with his tears. He just needed to hold her close to him…like before.

Lucy wrapped her arms around him, bringing out a gasp from him. Her arms shifted wrapping one around his neck, holding it near the crook of her neck, and the other rubbing circles on his back to soothe him.

"Lu…Lucy?" he asked.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" He didn't answer. "You don't normally act like this Natsu. Something must've happened to me…for you to act like this...Right?"

Silence.

He buried his face deeper into her neck, trying to shield her from what he was eventually going to tell them. He felt her arms shift again, her arm on his back wrapped around his neck and began weaving her thin, graceful fingers through his unruly locks of pink. It was soothing for her to weave her fingers in his hair. It always managed to calm him for some reason. Maybe it was because he was closest to Lucy when she does it, his head on her lap and her hands on him…Or maybe because nothing was on his mind's other than Lucy.

"Can…can we stay like this…For a little longer?" he asked. "_Please_." His voice was begging. He needed to stay like this…Even if it was only for a little bit. He needed to hold her again.

She breathed out and smiled, holding him tighter and closer to her. "Of course. Take as much time as you need Natsu."

And so, they stayed like that, with the others looking on. The three girls and three Exceeds having smiles on their faces while the fire Dragon Slayer had a slight frown on his. He felt that something was going to happen…And it involved his future self before him.


	3. Chapter III

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter III**

After a few minutes within her arms, Natsu pulled away from Lucy. Her head was tilted to the side. She let him take a few breaths before the blonde said everyone's unsaid question.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

"The Eclipse Gate can be used as a portal to travel through time."

"The Eclipse Gate…" Mira said.

Yukino raised her hand and pressed it against her chin. _Could he be talking about the project?_

"Why are you here, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"To stop the future from happening," he said. "And to protect everyone's future."

"Everyone's…future," Natsu said. He walked over to the two and stood over Lucy. "What's going to happen?"

The future counterpart of Natsu stayed silent. He just looked away from his past's glare.

"Tell us what's going to happen to us." Natsu's voice was stern and hard.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, turning around to glare at her pink-haired partner. "You obviously don't understand people…even if it's yourself."

"Luce, I just-"

The blonde sighed, turning back to Future Natsu. "I'm sorry…about yourself." Natsu looked back to Lucy with a small smile. "Now, can you tell us what's going to happen?"

Natsu flashed his eyes to the side before looking into Lucy's. "Dragons are going to invade Fiore." Everyone stayed silent, so Future Natsu continued. "A hoard of 10 000 dragons will bring this country to ruins."

"You're…joking, right Natsu?" Happy asked. He flew down from his partner's shoulder and landing in front of him. The blue Exceed's eyes were looking up to him with begging eyes.

Natsu shook his head. Reaching a hand out, he pet Happy's head, reminiscing the feel of his partner's soft fur. "I wish that I was. Most of the country's population is gone, with the survivors hiding from the beasts."

He paused, taking in a deep breath before continuing. It was hard to think about the dead bodies of his guild mates, let alone taking about it out loud. Especially when some of the dead from his time was standing directly in front of him.

"Not even half of Fairy Tail survives."

He noticed that his past self swallowed dryly and that Lucy's chest tightened and pulled her lips into a thin line. He heard the others' gasps.

"Erza, Gray, Lucy, and I were considered the strongest our guild had left."

"Master…Gildarts even…" Mira said.

"Gajeel and Laxus too," Lucy said. "Two Dragon Slayers…"

"But…" Wendy looked into her fellow Dragon Slayer's onyx eyes. "You found a way to stop it, right?" Everyone looked to the younger Dragon Slayer. "That's why you're here now."

Natsu nodded. "The Lucy and Levy managed to gather documents and books regarding the Eclipse Gate…Though…" He scratched his head and had a nervous smile on his face. "I didn't really understand much of what it said."

Everyone sighed at Future Natsu. He was Natsu, no matter what time period he came from. Lucy giggled and smiled, bringing Natsu back to the topic at hand.

"They managed to figure out, after years of research, that the Eclipse Gate could send people back into the past with Celestial magic." He turned to Lucy. "You were the last Celestial mage, Lucy, so we needed to get you back to the capital from the ruined town of Magnolia where we hid from the dragons."

Natsu nodded. "We left the guild to protect Lucy getting to the gate with Happy." He took a heavy breath again. "Everyone did their best for our goal…Getting Lucy to Crocus…even, when they put their own lives for the sake of it."

Lucy's eyes widened, her breathing was hitched. She felt that she was at fault. Gray, Erza, Happy, and Natsu had put up their lives to get her to the capital to save everyone's future in the past…Not only that…they had _died_ for her.

She fell back, leaning over so that her head was resting on her legs. Her hands were clenched in her golden locks. She was shaking and rocking herself back-and-forth in an attempt to calm herself. Lucy was having a panic attack.

"It's…my fault…" she whispered in a raspy voice. "They're dead…aren't they?" The Natsu before her didn't answer, just looked away with a solemn expression on his face. "_They're dead because of me! Aren't they?!_" Her head shot up from her lap, tears brimming in her brown eyes. "_Natsu! Tell me!_"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see the past counterpart of Natsu looking grim. He knelt beside her, having an arm on her shoulder and pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. The blonde let the tears spill onto her cheeks.

"They died for the sake of our futures Luce…It will never be your fault." There was a smile on his face as he turned to face his future counterpart. There was a glint of sadness in his onyx eyes.

He sighed, knowing that if it was any other time his past self would be beating a pillar until his knuckles were covered with his blood. They weren't just teammates, they were family. Siblings coming from different origins and had shared agonies time after time. But his past counterpart wouldn't lose himself right now, not when Lucy was panicking like this.

"He's right Lucy," he said, making everyone look at him. "Dragons are powerful. We were ready to expect losses…" His eyes changed their gaze, looking grim and stared to the corner. _But…I wasn't for losing you…_

"Wait…You said that dragons are coming, right?" Natsu asked.

Future Natsu nodded. "Yes, 10 000 of them suddenly appeared on this day."

"Shit!" Natsu got up and ran over to a couple suits of armour. "We gotta go then!"

"Eh…Natsu? What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"Getting ready to fight dragons, _duh_ Luce," the fire Dragon Slayer said. "I've been waiting for a day like this!"

"But, these dragons aren't something to be dealt with," Future Natsu said. "There's too many for you to handle on your own…Even with guilds, it's too much." He clenched his teeth and his eyes hardened. "It's…it's impossible-"

"Nothing's impossible," Natsu cut in. He stood in front of his future self. "Not with Fairy Tail."

Lucy let out a light laugh. "You should know that better than anyone Natsu."

Natsu looked around, seeing encouraging gazes from Mira, Wendy, Loke, and the Exceeds. A soft smile came from Yukino.

"Everyone…"

A fist directly in front of his face made Natsu throw his head back slightly. He saw that the fist was from his other self with their grin plastered on his face.

"Thank you," he said, "for the sake of everyone's future."

Natsu formed a small smile before connecting his fist with his couterpart's. Lucy stood up, dusting off herself before extending her right hand to him. Natsu stared heavily at it before looking into her smiling face.

"We better hurry up and change the future. Right Natsu?"

"Yeah." Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling himself up.

"Hey…Where's Arcadios-sama?" Yukino asked.

"Huh?" Lucy looked around, unable to find the knight. "Loke! I told you to look after him!"

"I don't know where he went Lucy," Loke said. He looked to his wrist at his imaginary watch. "Well, look at the time! I must leave Lucy, but call me whenever you are in need of your knight." He vanished with a wink.

Lucy waved her hand in the air. "You perverted spirit!"

Natsu laughed as he threw on his hood and grabbed Lucy's right hand. He started pulling her along, leading everyone deeper into the castle. "Let's go. We don't have time to lose."

Lucy looked at Natsu's hand holding hers but managed to keep up with his pace. "Uh…Natsu…"

His gripped tightened slightly on her hand. "Sorry…Can, we stay like this?" _I don't want to lose sight of you._

She noticed his dark expression on his face. Lucy knew that he didn't talk about her future self. _Something must've happened seven years into the future_.

She squeezed his hand in assurance. "Of course."

* * *

Natsu wasn't the type to be jealous over the interactions of his guild mates, even if he viewed them as his siblings. He didn't pay attention to every single male that came in contact with Lisanna, Erza, or Mira. They could handle their own. He didn't have to worry about Wendy, she was still a kid and didn't have to worry about _boys_ yet. But when it comes to his blonde partner, it turned into an _entirely_ different story.

He was protective of Lucy, beyond the normal levels of what friendships and teammates allowed. He wouldn't let anyone stand next to his blonde like he did or grab her hand unexpectedly like he did.

So, why was he jealous of _himself?_ His future self was, in technical terms, himself. But, it might be the fact that it wasn't himself but his _future_ self that was holding Lucy's hand at the moment. Still, it was weird to see himself in front of him when it wasn't really him.

Future Natsu led them through a long hallway with portraits decorating the purple walls. He sniffed the air, noticing people were coming after them.

"People are coming," he said.

"How many?" Lucy asked, looking back to her partner.

With another whiff of the air, Natsu answered the blonde. "A lot."

"What? We didn't encounter any soldiers," Future Natsu said. "I must've lead us in the wrong direction."

"I don't think so," Natsu said. "Something must've-"

"Yukino! Where'd she go?!" Mira said.

They all stopped, looking to the eldest Take-Over mage. With a hand in her long silvery hair, she had a concerned look on her face.

"She must've gotten separated," Wendy suggested.

"Geez, with a battle coming-"

"Capture them!"

The rescue team looked around, seeing kingdom soldiers before them. They pointed their weapons to them.

"Damn!" Natsu said, lighting his fists on fire.

"I'm going after Yukino!" Mira yelled, tracing the direction they came from.

Lucy looked back to the fleeting white-haired girl. "Mira! We're about to-"

"I'm not leaving her behind!" she yelled back.

"Mira!" Future Natsu yelled. "We shouldn't get separated! We don't-"

"Leave it to her," Natsu said. "She'll be fine. Now…" Natsu cracked his knuckles, glaring at the soldiers before them and playing on his lips was his ever-so-famous grin. "Are you going to let us through, or am I gonna have to push our way through?"


	4. Chapter IV

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter IV**

It seemed to be a lost cause, the soldiers were endless. The rescue team was exhausting their magic. Natsu was still recovering from his battle with Sting and Rogue the day before and Mira ran off to find Yukino. The three Exceeds, two-I mean three- Dragon Slayers and Celestial mage were left to handle the hoard of soldiers before getting out of the castle.

Natsu was being covered by a near worn-out Lucy and Happy. Wendy was blowing her opponents (literally) away with Lily and Carle by her legs. Natsu's other self was in the middle of the fray, taking on nearly half of the soldiers and blasting them away with his fire, clearly not fazed by the amount of soldiers surrounding them.

The older Dragon Slayer looked on the battle with a gleam of nostalgia in his eyes and a lopsided smile. Happy memories, _good_ memories were brought back. The memories before the war, of himself and his team going on missions, saving the guild and save the world…Before the dragons came and destroyed the country…Destroying their lives.

Lucy caught his eyes with hers and smile. "You alright Natsu?"

He smiled nervously. "Yeah. Sorry that I couldn't be much help at the moment. It's completely ruining my style."

Lucy laughed. "That's alright. You're magic's been heavily depleted since you passed through the Gate right? You shouldn't worry about that with a dragon hoard coming our way, you've done more than enough already."

Natsu smile. Even in the darkest of times, he would be the one offering word of hope and encouragement to the others. But Lucy would be the one to tell him the same thing when trouble was coming for them. He missed that most about her.

"Thanks Luce."

A smile crept on her face. _Besides, after all the times you've protected me, it's my turn to protect you._ "Open the gate to the virgin! _Virgo!_" With a flash of light and a bell's ring, the pink-haired maid appeared bowing to the blonde mage.

"You called Hime?" Virgo asked in her calm, stoic voice.

"Yes, can you take care of them please?"

The maid looked to the charging soldiers directed towards their group before looking back to her master. "And then punishment Hime?"

"What?! No! Just-_ugh_-do as you're told!" The blonde waved her fist at the spirit as she dug a large hole underneath the soldiers. "Thank you."

"Eh…Natsu-san?" Wendy called out.

"Yeah?!" the present Natsu yelled, punching a soldier with a flaming fist.

"Yes?" the future Natsu said politely, causing everyone to pause what they were currently doing.

"Natsu…is polite?!" Happy asked.

"What happened to me?!" Natsu yelled, kicking a row of soldiers down.

"Um…Future Natsu-san," Wendy quietly said. "What are we going to do when we get out of here? Do you have a plan?"

"It's Natsu Wendy," Carle said, folding her arms across her chest. "Of course he doesn't."

"That's true, I don't have a plan. Lucy was the one with the plan," Natsu said. "But Jellal should have a plan."

"Jellal?" Natsu asked. "He knows that-"

"Prepare yourselves, Evil Doers!"

Everyone stopped to the sounds of the soldiers cheering for something. The crowd of armed men parted a path. In the parted path were five individuals.

"Damn!"

"Not again!" Happy said.

"And we're down two people with Mira and Yukino gone," Lily said.

"I must've been wrong with the directions," Natsu said. Lucy turned her head to see the older Dragon Slayer hanging his head low. "I'm sorry."

The blonde smiled at him. "It's all right. You've always been horrible with directions."

"Hey!" Natsu called out.

"Right Happy?"

"Aye!" the blue Exceed said. "Remember that time we were walking home from that mission? It was suppose to take a day but we ended up adding another three 'cause Natsu led us up a mountain!"

"Stop helping her point Happy!"

Wendy and the other two Exceeds nodded in agreement.

"You too!"

Natsu laughed, Lucy had always done that. Make him smile, gave him hope in the darkest of times. That was his Luce, always giving them, and he included, a reason to continue on. A reason to fight on for.

Natsu remembered the night their team had a near-death experience with a dragon soon after they had started their mission to save everyone's future. Gray was nearly ripped in half by the dragon. If Natsu and Erza came a second later, their stripping mage would no longer be with them.

They had taken shelter in an abandoned home on the outskirts of a ruined city. Erza had went with Happy to look for food as Gray was recovering from the day with Lucy and Natsu watching over him. The ice mage was shaking terribly as the fire Dragon Slayer stood watch by the door and the Celestial mage sat next to Gray. His scarred hands held his face as Lucy's arms were on him, rubbing his broad shoulders.

"_Gray, it's alright now,_" Lucy said in a motherly voice. "_They're gone, everything's fin-_"

"_It's not Lucy!_" Gray snapped causing to retract her arms from him. "_Those-dragons are still out there! It's not going to be alright anymore._" He shoved a hand into his pocket, continuing in a hushed voice. "_It will never be fine again._"

"_Gray…_" Lucy wrapped her arms around Gray's shoulders and chest. She knew Juvia wouldn't mind, he needed someone right now. "_But you are. You're safe Gray. Isn't that what matters the most? You're alive, everyone on the team is safe. That's all that matters to me right now. And for you too._"

There was a pause before Gray broke the silence.

"_What's the point of living if _she's_ not here?!_"

Natsu looked to his frienemy. He had gone through a lot since the beginning of the war, they all had. But not as much as Gray. Ultear had given up her life to save the majority of their guild. Lyon followed quickly after from protecting Juvia and Chelia. Not having enough time to catch his breath after their deaths, Gray lost the one person that was keeping him sane, the one that he was closest to.

Unlike Ultear and Lyon, he watched her die before him. Gray watched Juvia be crushed by a falling building caused by a dragon flying overhead. Sadly, he couldn't save her in time.

Natsu could understand how his rival was feeling. If he had lost Lucy then, the slayer wouldn't know what to do with himself. If Lucy died, Natsu would probably stop living himself.

"_She wouldn't want you to give up_." Gray's eyes were staring into Lucy's chocolate eyes. "_Juvia would want to see your _Never-Giving-Up_ self. Juvia would want you to live. Not just for us, for her and everyone who we lost Gray._"

Natsu noticed that the ice mage was biting his bottom lip to keep his eyes dry and a hand gripping one of the blonde's arms. Behind the two mages were three foggy figures. One blue-haired woman was kneeling behind Gray as a dark-haired woman and silver-haired man stood next to them with warm smiles. The bluenette had her head on Gray's shoulder blade and had a loving smile pressing against Gray's back.

"Gray-sama…"

"_Thank you Lucy._"

"Thank you Lucy," Natsu said. The young blonde turned to look at the older Dragon Slayer behind her.

"For what?"

"For everything." Natsu smiled a warm smile and caught the blonde blushing slightly as she quickly turned around.

"…No problem Natsu."

* * *

Natsu was angry. Natsu was _very_ angry. First, some old guy arrests Lucy for no reason. Then, he gets separated from her just when they got her back. Then they all nearly die. Then, Future Natsu (or technically he) was flirting with (his) Lucy. Then soldiers caught up to them and Yukino was missing and Mira went after her. And now those executioners showed up and Future Natsu (or he) was flirting with (his) Lucy...AGAIN!

_Why are they being all lovey-dovey?!_ Natsu angrily thought as he easily dodged a couple of scythes. _Well…technically it's me that's being all lovey-dovey with Luce._ He sent a flaming punch in Kama's direction. _What's with me?! Why am I acting this way?_

Natsu took his eyes off of his enemy, glancing over to Lucy protecting his future self. Her eyes were heavily concentrated on those two girls, failing to notice that his older self had a look in his eyes. Seeing Lucy in action would usually leave an awestruck look on her partner's face. But the present Dragon Slayer saw nothing but a look of utter fear in his onyx eyes, as if at any moment, Lucy would disappear from their sights.

Natsu's eyes lingered, then widened. Future Natsu never said what happened to Lucy and the younger slayer noticed that Igneel's scarf was lacking from his older self's attire.

_Wh…What happened to me? What happened to my scarf? What…_He looked over to Lucy with a worried look. _What happened to Lucy?!_

"GAH!" he heard Kama yell behind him.

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

"What's-"

"Natsu!"

"Lucy?!"

"Your feet!"

Looking around the Dragon Slayer saw that the soldiers and Garou Knights were being wallowed up by a black tar-like substance on the ground. It was closing in around him.

"Natsu!"

At the call of his name, Natsu jumped from his spot and joined the others. He turned to Lucy.

"Everyone all right?"

Wendy nodded, looking down on the floor where the soldiers and executioners were being swallowed by the shadow-coloured tar. "Yes, but-"

"I'm surprised to see you all in one piece. I was sure that those executioners would have taken care of you by now."

"Who's there?!" Natsu yelled.

The soldiers and executioners disappeared from the floor. The dark tar retreated like shadows and stopped once joining someone's shadow. The man connected to the shadow was a tall, powerful looking figure with long grey hair pulled back into a high ponytail with blank fringe as bangs that covered his right eye. His left eye was red and there was a grim smirk on his face.

Natsu felt something, something _off_. He could feel the murderous intent on him and smell the blood radiating off him. Natsu noticed that the man's eye was lingering around the group, staring at Lucy a little longer than the est. The way he looked at her with such bloodlust made Natsu's hair at the back of his neck stick up.

Quickly, the fire Dragon Slayer pushed Lucy and Wendy behind him and had his future self stand off to the side to be unnoticed by the man.

"It's been a while, Natsu-san," the man said.

"Who are you?"

"I am Rogue seven years into the future."


	5. Chapter V

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter V**

"Rogue…" Lucy said.

Natsu unconsciously pulled his hood lower. He wasn't lying. He was indeed Rogue, he smelled it on him. But there was something else…There was blood on his scent.

It was a year after the War had started since the Dragon Slayers had seen each other. But he never felt this malicious, this _evil_ aura on him during that time. He had changed. Rogue had changed a lot. In appearance and in magic prowess. Natsu didn't like it, and he can tell his past self didn't either.

"Stand back, Lucy, Wendy," Natsu whispered lowly. "I…have a bad feeling about him."

Natsu glanced over to his past self, seeing that his fists were shaking. Whether they were shaking from the immense power radiating off of Future Rogue or from pure fear, he didn't know.

"Why are you here?" Happy asked.

"To save the future."

Natsu blinked a couple of times. _He has the same goal as me? But…why do I sense blood thirst on him? And…_He sniffed the air a few times, smelling something sickening sweet and so familiar on him. _Why do I smell _her_ blood on him?!_

"The future?" Wendy asked.

"Yes," Rogue said. "Seven years into the future, dragons come and destroy the majority of the world and human population. Only 10% of humanity is left to hide from the 10 000 dragons that world the world. Eclipse today is the only thing that can kill the dragons."

Natsu's eyes widened. _It can kill the dragons?! But…how?!_

"We were told that it's a portal, connecting the future to the pat. How can it kill a hoard of 10 000 dragons in one go?" Lucy asked.

"Eclipse has two methods of usage, one is indeed a portal that can connect to different time periods. It's how I managed to get into this time period."

_And how Natsu did too_, Lucy thought.

"But there's another use to it as well," Rogue continued. "It can become a cannon once the gate is opened. A cannon powerful enough to take down every single dragon that threatens mankind."

"So why can't you use it in your time period?" Natsu asked. "If it's that simple, you shouldn't have to come to our time period, right?"

"It's not as simple as you think, Natsu," Rogue said.

"Something must've happened in your time period, right?" Lucy said. Everyone turned to her. "If it was as simple as it seems, there wouldn't _be_ a reason to why Rogue would be in the past." _Future Natsu wouldn't need to be here if that was the case._

"Correct," Rogue said. "The Eclipse in my time isn't as powerful as it was in your time. It would be better to warn those in the past about the impending danger lying ahead."

Natsu couldn't help but feel…_irked _about this Rogue. That smirk on the shadow Dragon Slayer's face hid something from them. Hiding the true intentions of him coming to this time period.

If Eclipse was powerful enough to stop the dragons from completely taking over the world, why wasn't his time saved? Why would he have to watch his guild, his _family_, suffer from dragons? Why did he have to watch Erza run out to a pair of dragons to keep them safe? Why did he have to see Gray be ripped apart to distract those beasts from him and Lucy? Why did he have to see white feathers, stained with red, fall eerily from the sky? Why?

If the cannon was suppose to save the world, save the guild, his teammates…save Lucy, why were dragons lurking around in the sky, searching for humans, in his time?

It didn't make sense.

"But, why would you need to warn us?" Wendy asked. "Someone must've known that the cannon would be able to handle the dragons, so there would be no real reason to why Rogue-san would have to come from the future."

"That's because someone interfered with the opening of the gate."

Everyone's eyes widened. Who would stop their futures from being saved?

"Why would someone do that?" Lucy asked.

Rogue's narrow eyes stared at Lucy a little longer than they should, Natsu noticed it. "I don't know," the shadow Dragon Slayer said. "But, I'm here to kill them before they manage to interfere with everyone's futures."

"Oi, oi. There's no reason to kill them," Lily said. "If we talk to them and explain the situation to them, they'll-"

"There's no use in talking to them," Rogue said. "It has been already decided by fate. We, as humans, cannot escape it. They will close the gate, thus rendering the cannon useless to stop the dragons and plundering the world into chaos."

"That still doesn't give us the right to kill that person," Carle said. "We'll figure out a way to-"

"Words are useless in this," Rogue continued. "The person is fated to close the gate, even if told the circumstances after the fact. We cannot stop them unless we end their life beforehand."

"Tch, this is ridiculous," Natsu said. "Who is the person who stopped the cannon from firing in the first place?"

"**_You…_**" Rogue's hand had a dark, black aura around it and raised it in the group's direction. "**_LUCY HEARTFILIA!_**"

The shadows took form of a black blade, aimed right for Lucy's midsection. Everything around the room seemed to slow down. No one could move, no one could stop the blade from its path…Almost like it was destined to kill their beloved Celestial mage.

Natsu's past self turned on his heels, reaching out to the blade in an attempt to direct it from the blonde. "_LUCY!_" the fire Dragon Slayer yelled.

"_Eh?_" The blonde wouldn't move. She _couldn't_ move. Her feet were fixed to the ground, eyes reflecting the dark blade that was going to kill her.

She was only seventeen, having only started her life at Fairy Tail…She couldn't leave them, not yet. There was so many things that she wanted-_needed_\- to do. Finish her novel, get her family estate back, watch Fairy Tail become the No. 1 guild in all of Fiore…See everyone grow up together…

The blonde closed her brown eyes tight. She waited for the pain to course through her body. Drowning out the sounds of her friends' yells, she awaited patiently for her death.

It never came. The yells ceased. Only the sounds of the blade entering someone's body and blood dripping on the ground could be heard in the hallway.

* * *

Natsu moved on his own. He had no control over his body. Even if he did have _some_ sort of control, the outcome would've been the same.

He had travelled through time, not just to see Lucy again, not just to see his guild back in its glory days. But to save his family from being annihilated by the dragons. He didn't want to live in hiding anymore. He didn't want to see Fairy Tail broken…He didn't want to see _death _at every turn.

Natsu didn't want to lose her again.

With two swift steps, he stood in front of her, stopping the others' shouts. His back to Future Rogue, he took the blade instead of her. Entering in the middle of his back, Natsu felt the shadows invading his body and shutting off every bodily function known to man. His blood streamed down his cloak, dripping onto the ground. Every drop that splashed onto stone echoed throughout the hallway.

Natsu's hood fell back, revealing his spiky cherry blossom hair to Future Rogue. He looked down, seeing that Lucy's eyes were still shut tightly. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Hey…L-Luce…"

Her eyes widened recognizing his voice. She shook as she looked up, locking brown eyes with a pair of onyx. Glancing over his shoulder, she saw the blade stuck in his back. Her eyes widened, losing the gleam in them as the shadows dissipated from his back.

She heard Rogue say something about another Natsu behind them. But she cared less as Natsu was falling to the ground. With a thud, he laid face-down on the stone ground. His cloaks sprawled around him and a pool of blood forming. Clenching her fists at her side, Lucy fell to her knees, splashing in the blood. Her breathing became rapid, she was beyond panicking. She was beyond calm.

With a final breath, she let out a scream.

"**_NATSU!_**"


	6. Chapter VI

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter VI**

Natsu had forgotten what being at peace was like. Looking out for his family and Lucy has been his top priority even before the War started. In those seven years, all he had known was surviving and fighting. There was no stop to the fighting. To the destruction. To the deaths.

There was no place in his time where he can catch his breath. He had to keep pushing forward. He never looked back. Even when Erza, Gray, and Happy, _Happy_ for God's sake, Natsu never properly mourned for them. He kept pushing passed his limits, to keep Lucy safe. To save their futures.

A year ago in his time, his team ventured out to the capital. They left what remained of their guild without protection from the dragons to save their futures. Five months ago, Erza gave up her life to distract dragons away from Lucy and Happy. Three months ago, dragons ripped apart Gray to keep Lucy and Natsu alive while the fire Dragon Slayer found a single wing that was soaked in blood.

It was a few days ago when he saw his Lucy, Lucy from seven years into the future. They were walking through the ruins of the capital. Once, it was a bright city made lively by magic. Now, it was ruined. Buildings that stood tall were broken down into rubble. Skeletons of human life were scattered among the debris. The palace that once glowed in the debris. The palace that once glowed in the centre of the city and stood proudly as the city's symbol, was in ruins. The towers were demolished and the pillars that held the palace together had lost their sheen. The lively sounds had been replaced by the frightening roars of dragons in the distance.

Natsu was walking slightly ahead of Lucy, making sure they didn't step on something that alerted the dragons. Natsu's white scarf contrasted against his navy-coloured cloak. His pink hair was hidden away under his hood. His worn-down boots quietly clicked against the cobblestone ground.

His blonde partner had a hand grasping her black cloak firmly with her golden locks hidden away. Her other hand tightly gripped twelve golden keys on her belt, keeping them from making high pitched rattling. Lucy's worn-out sandals gently scrapped against the cobblestone ground. He was shivering from the cold.

Their magic had been heavily depleted. Natsu only had enough to keep himself alive and maybe take on another dragon or two while Lucy had been told to completely conserve her magic in order to open the gate. Lucy's brown eyes were dull now, while Natsu's onyx eyes had a small gleam in them. He had to stop lively for Lucy's sake, he had to be the one to give her hope.

Natsu knew that Lucy was cold. She was turning pale and her lips had begun to change to a slightly different colour. He would've obviously warmed her up with a small amount of what remained of his magic, but Lucy would never allow it. A mage's life was interlocked with their magic. If he used up any of his magic at this point, he would be in a fatal position.

He looked back at Lucy. "_You cold Luce?_"

Lucy looked up to him and smiled forcefully, he say through it. "_I'm fine Natsu._"

Said Dragon Slayer stopped in his tracks, walking over to his worn out partner. "_You sure Luce?_"

"_Yes Natsu, you don't have-_"

Natsu grabbed her hands with his. She was stone cold. "_You're freezing! Why didn't you tell me?!_"

"_I-I didn't want you to w-worry._"

"_Of course I would worry Lucy! You're imp-_"

"_I know Natsu…I'm important_," she whispered. "_That's why Erza, Gray, and Happy are gone._" Her eyes were set on the ground.

Natsu tightened his grip on her hands. They had died for their goal, to get Lucy to the gate, to save everyone's future. If they succeeded, everyone would be alive. Lucy was the only one who could open the gate and get them to the past. Everything as on their shoulders…especially Lucy's.

"_Lucy, it's not _just _that now_," he said. His thumb began stroking her pink guild mark on the back of her hand. "_You're all I have now. The guild's in shambles, everyone's gone. I need you to stay with me…because I won't last much longer alone, especially without you Luce._"

Lucy looked up to Natsu with a pair of sad eyes. "_I'm sorry Natsu._"

Natsu smiled softly back. "_I'm going to warm you up, 'kay?_"

"_Not with your magic._"

"_But you're gonna-_"

"_You'll die if you use any more magic Natsu!_"

She was giving him a hard stare while he was returning that very look. He sighed and broke his gaze, replacing it with a warm smile.

"_It's like old times, you stubborn Weirdo_," he said.

Lucy blushed, turning her head to the side. "_S-shut up._"

Natsu released her hands, reaching for his scarf. "_Here._" He began wrapping his white scarf around Lucy's neck.

"_Natsu-_"

"_It'll keep you warm enough, okay?_"

Lucy nuzzled her nose into the fabric, inhaling his warm, firewood scent. "_Thank you Natsu._"

Natsu smiled, taking her cold hand in his warmer one. "_Don't mention it Luce! Now, let's go!_"

"_Yeah._"

Surprisingly, they never encountered any dragons when the two made their way to the palace. Upon closer inspection, the inside of the royal palace had been left untouched since the last time they were there for the Games. The halls were dark and dusty. The vibrant furniture and beautiful paintings had dust caked on to them. It was quiet, it was empty.

Natsu and Lucy entered the gardens that once were full of colour and life. The greenery had withered away years ago. Yellowed leaves strayed on the pathways. Standing in the middle of the gardens was the Eclipse Gate in all its glory, never changing for seven years.

Natsu sighed. "_We made it Luce._"

Lucy nodded. "_Yeah._"

Natsu started looking around. "_Where's the-_"

"_Here._" Lucy was crouching down in front of a lever. "_Just…give me a moment…_" She was quickly writing in her journal.

"_Yeah._"

A couple minutes passed when Natsu heard Lucy's sandals scrapping against the ground. Natsu turned around to see Lucy's cloak folded in her arms with her journal sitting on top of it and his scarf. Natsu frowned, Lucy was only in a pair of thin pants and a tank top.

"_Lucy, you're gonna get cold again._"

"_The cloak will get in the way. Just hold onto it, please?_"

Natsu let out a deep breath when he locked eyes with Lucy's doe-coloured puppy-dog eyes. "_At least wear my scarf Luce._"

She smiled, handing her things over before wrapping the scarf around her neck again. Walking back to the lever, the blonde made took her keys from her belt. The keys began to glow and Lucy threw them towards the gate. They formed a circle in the middle of the gate. The lever began to glow and Lucy gripped her fingers around it.

She turned to look at Natsu, who nodded at her before looking at the gate. The level sounded throughout the ruined castle, followed by the sounds of the gate opening. Light flooded out from the gate.

"_You did it Luce!_" He grinned at her authentically for the first time in years.

He heard her heavy breathing. "_We did Natsu._"

Natsu turned away from her, looking at the gate. They had done it. Natsu and Lucy had managed to open the fate. They made it. Their team's futures were safe. Everyone's futures were. Natsu and Lucy's future together was-

Natsu's nose picked up something…Brimstone. His eyes widened. How could he not know that dragons were around?! I was suspicious in the first place _not _to see any where the dragons circulated around. And now he had put Lucy, his last line of sanity that he as clinging to so desperately, in danger.

Natsu turned–"_LUCY!_" He dropped her cloak and journal to the ground. Lucy tilted her head as she jogged over to him. "_Hm? What wrong Natsu?_"

The dragon was close. Very close…Probably hiding behind the gate or behind–

Red eyes peered through the shadows that suddenly showed up behind Lucy. His eyes widened, his pupils shrank in fear.

He was about to run to her side, to keep her safe. "**LUCY! Ge-**"

Everything went into slow motion. His world began slowing down, he took in every detail that played out before him.

Lucy's right arm moved behind her. The dark snout of a dragon moved out of the shadows, positioning its jaws over Lucy's arm…The arm with her guild mark.

The blonde felt a source of heat behind her. "_Eh?_"

"**LUCY!**"

She didn't scream. Her eyes were wide, but no tears fell from them. Her breaths were staggered and her mouth was opened, but no sounds came from her. Blood gusted out from her wound. The sickening sweet scent of her blood nearly made Natsu puke. Curse his sensitive nose.

Dragons began sounding out around them. Above them, a massive cloud of dragons began circling over Lucy's head like vultures to a carcass. They landed around Lucy with loud thuds. They blocked Natsu from getting to Lucy.

"**LUCY!**" he yelled. Magic and concern coursed through his body. Little flames appeared on his clenched fists.

"_Don't Natsu! You'll die!_" she yelled.

Tears began streaming down her face. Likewise, tears streamed down Natsu's as well.

"**I DON'T CARE!**" he yelled. "**I'M SAVING YOU LUCY!**"

The dragons closed in on her.

"**Natsu, you have to get to us in the past! Go!**"

"**I CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE LUCY! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT YOU!**"

"**NATSU! GO!**"

"_NATSU! PLEASE NATSU! STAY WITH ME!_"

"There's another Natsu…Impossible…"

He looked around. He wasn't in a ruined palace. He was inside of the palace, in one of the halls. Lucy wasn't surrounded by dragons with no hope of escaping alive. He was lying on her lap with blood pooling around him, _his _blood.

"Where…" He looked around.

Wendy had tears streaming out of her light brown eyes. Carle and Lily were wide, disbelieving in the scene before them. Happy was at his side, gripping his cloak with his small paws. His past self was staring at the blood. And Lucy…Lucy had his head resting on her lap. An expression of fear and of desperation was on her face.

"You never closed the gate…You never would ruin the chances of our survival Lucy…"

"_NATSU! PLEASE, STOP TALKING!_" Lucy screamed. "_WE'RE GONNA GET OUT OF THIS!_"

Natsu smiled. He glanced down to see that the attack had pierced through his back and exited his chest. Despite Lucy's mutters of hope and encouragement, Natsu knew that he wasn't going to make it out of this one.

He heard whimpers coming from her. "_Why'd you do that Natsu?!_" Lucy whispered. Tears streamed down her face, falling onto his. "_You idiot…_"

He smiled, no, he grinned. "I needed to save you…Without you, it's not possible to save everyone's future…_Cough, cough, cough._" A harsh series of coughs coursed through his aching body.

"You dumbass!" Lucy cried. She bent over until their foreheads were resting against each others. "You don't need to save me! You didn't have to give up your life for me!"

There was a pause.

"I couldn't save you…The Future Lucy…_My Lucy_…" he rasped out. Blood began trickling from his mouth. Lucy wiped her thumb over the small stream of red liquid. "I watched her die…to save me…" His hand moved from resting by his side to the black cloak tied firmly around his waist. "If you died, _My Lucy _would've died for nothing.

"I wasn't able to protect her. I wasn't…" He raised a shaky hand and Lucy's right hand shot up to grab it. She gripped it tightly to the point where she was shaking more than he was. "_I couldn't protect you_, _Lucy…_" He began coughing again.

"_Natsu…_" Happy whined.

The older fire Dragon Slayer looked over to his former partner. Tears flooded his large eyes. "I wasn't able to keep-"

"_Don't die Natsu! We…We have a lot of adventures together!_" the Exceed cried.

"I'm not from-"

"_I don't care!_" Happy yelled. "_Natsu is Natsu, no matter where you came from…Right Lushie?_"

The blonde looked after him nodded. "_You're supposed to stay with me…We're supposed to keep going on this adventure, Natsu._"

"I'm not your Natsu Lucy," he said. "Yours is still in front of you, alive. I had to protect you now, or else Lucy would cease to exist in this time and in the future." He returned her grip by bringing her hand down so that he could see the pink mark on the back of her hand. "_I can't watch you die again Lucy._"

"_Natsu-_"

He cut her off by releasing her hand, placing it on his chest where there wasn't much blood. Placing his hand around her neck, he pulled her head down to him. Leaning up, he captured her soft lips with her rougher, more chapped lips. He heard a small squeak coming from her. The kiss was short and sweet, but Natsu conveyed his unsaid feelings for his blonde, even if it wasn't _his_ blonde but her past.

"_Sorry…_" His voice had become even raspier than before and his breaths were staggered and shallow. "_I needed to do that before I-_"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE NATSU!" she yelled, a slight blush decorated her face.

His hand was beginning to slip from its position on the back of her neck. "_I missed seeing everyone Luce…I miss hearing your voice…I'm gonna go ahead…_"

"Natsu…" she whispered, a fresh set of tears began to fill the brims of her eyes. "_No...Natsu, don't…_"

He turned his head to look at his old self. Most of his face was hidden under his white scarf, but the older version of Natsu saw the confusion and utter frustration in his pair of onyx eyes. Natsu wasn't sure if it was because he just kissed Past Natsu's Lucy or that he couldn't protect her in the future.

"_Protect Lucy…_" His hand slipped from Lucy's neck, falling to the ground. "_Protect…the future…_"

"**_NATSU!_**"

In his final moments, he saw something in his past self's eyes. A hard look of determination was in his eyes. Through that look, the two slayers exchanged an unsaid message.

**_I promise, I'll protect her with my life._**

With a sad smile, Natsu closed his eyes and a ghost of his infamous grin playing on his lips as Lucy's voice rang through his mind until he slipped into the darkness that was death.


	7. Chapter VII

_**BOWS HEAD ON HER KNEES MULTIPLE TIMES** I don't think you all know how TRULY sorry I am for not updating ANYTHING in freaking MONTHS! I've been trying to get myself settled with finishing my last semester at high school and organizing my writing stuff. Also, I've been looking up starting a blog and story writing into video games so my head's been everywhere._

_But I'm COMPLETELY focused on my writing right now and will probably start updating my stories once every two weeks. {Pushing to update once a week though}. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I just really wanted to update this and fix up any mistakes on the previous chapters before continuing this. And I'll be finishing this fic first before continuing _The Clingy Mermaid.

_Thank you all so much for waiting and understanding! And once again, I'm so TRULY SORRY! Enjoy! :D :D_

~Tati

* * *

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter VII**

Natsu wouldn't let him down. He wouldn't fail. He was going to protect Lucy. Even if he gave his life, he was going to keep her safe. Natsu was going to beat those dragons, he was going to go back to the guild with Lucy, breathing, by his side. He will succeed where his future failed.

His eyes were set on his future body, his hand was bloody and gripping the cloak tied around his waist. Lucy's cloak. His future face was paling. It looked cold. His future cherry blossom hair was losing its sheen.

Wendy was crying. Lily stayed silent. Carle looked away, gripping the blue-haired Dragon Slayer's leg. Happy had endless tears running down his furry face. Lucy was hunched over the body, sobbing her heart out. Natsu bit his lip, watching Lucy like this was heartbreaking.

Lucy had seen him _die_ in front of her. The person who brought her to her home. Her partner. Her teammate. Her best friend. Her…love.

"He couldn't save _his_ Lucy, so he protected the one who plunges this world into darkness," Future Rogue said.

"You're…you're lying," Lucy whispered barely audible. She turned her head to look at Natsu's peaceful face. "I would _never_ risk everyone's future. I-"

"I can't take that chance!" Future Rogue yelled, lifting his arm again, aiming for the blonde.

Lucy flinched at his words, _He's going to try again._

Natsu wasn't following Rogue. Killing Lucy? He wasn't like that. Or, could he have changed over the seven years of this war? The fire Dragon Slayer didn't want to know. He just needed to get Lucy as far away from Rogue as possible. He was going to deal with the other slayer, and he wouldn't fail.

A dark mist formed around Rogue's hand. "You will die here Lucy Heartfilia!"

"_Don't you dare touch her!_"

A flaming fit made contact with the side of the shadow Dragon Slayer's face, sending him flying in a wall. Natsu's body was completely engulfed in his angry flames. His face was distorted by rage.

"I'll burn that fate away! No one will steal Lucy's future!" Natsu yelled. His fists were clenched tightly, knuckles turning deathly pale. Not that he cared. Natsu just wanted to make his point across: He would protect the future and Lucy. "I promise, I will."

Chuckling was heard from where Rogue was. There was an eerie smile plastered on his face. "You cannot save the Celestial Maiden. Natsu Dragneel," Rogue said coldly as he stood up.

"I will!" Natsu spat out.

"Are you willing to risk everyone's lives for the sake of a single mage?" Rogue's voice, calm and chilling.

"Lucy isn't just a mage," Natsu said. "She's part of Fairy Tail! My best friend! My-" He stopped abruptly. "I won't let _anyone_ harm her."

Rogue smirked and closed his eyes as he reached behind him. "You won't stop me. You won't stop destiny." He swiped his hand towards Lucy, throwing something wrapping in white and dripping red. "You've drove me to this point, Natsu can't protect you Lucy Heartfilia. Not from the dragons and certainly not from me."

Natsu knew what Rogue was doing, the bastard was trying to manipulate her thoughts against him. Standing tall and straight at Rogue, Natsu spoke only to Lucy. "Don't listen to him Luce! You know I would never-Lucy!"

She wasn't paying attention to him, or if she wasn't Lucy wasn't showing. The blonde was staring at the item Future Rogue threw at her. The red liquid, which everyone knew was blood at this point, covered most of the white wrapping. Despite the scarlet blood seeping through the cloth, the blonde took note of the scale pattern on the cloth.

"It's…" Happy said.

"Natsu-san's scarf," Wendy finished.

"But…" Lucy reached out her hand towards the scarf. "What's wrapped with it?"

Natsu didn't want Lucy to unwrap his-Future Natsu's-scarf. He didn't _want_ to know. He feared that he would lose himself if he saw what was in that scarf. After all, it reeks of Lucy and death.

"Lucy! Don't touch it! I'll protect you!"

"I'm only saying the truth Lucy Heartfilia. This-" Rogue pointed to the item wrapped in Natsu's bloody scarf, "-is your future."

"Lucy!"

Lucy touched the item. Her pupils shrank and tear leaked from her eyes. Her body, especially her right arm, began shaking. Her heartbeat spiked and sweat drenched her skin.

Lucy screamed. Rogue smirked. Natsu yelled out her name.

* * *

_It's cold…_Lucy looked around. It was the capital…but it wasn't the capital. It was destroyed. She looked away from the red skies and ruined buildings. _The gate…_The gate was the only structure that was still standing.

"_LUCY!_"

Said blonde looked around, and saw Natsu. Future Natsu. His face was filled with utter fear and desperation.

"_Hm? What's wrong Natsu?_" She began jogging to where Natsu stood in front of the opening gate.

"**LUCY! Ge-**"

Intense pain shot up on Lucy's right arm.

"_Eh?_"

What felt like multiple blades sinking into her arm at the same time, ripped her arm off. The girl didn't scream, she _couldn't._ Her eyes were wide, no tears fell. Her breaths were rapid and uneven, no sounds were made. Blood gushing from her fresh wound ran down her sides like a rushing waterfall.

Soon, the sounds of roars resonated around the blonde. Looking up, a dark cloud formed of dragons circled around her, ready for a kill. One by one, the landed around Lucy, blocking Natsu from her.

"**LUCY!**" he yelled. Little flames appeared on his fists, he wanted to fight.

But Lucy knew better. Her Dragon Slayer couldn't fight. In some other form maybe, but not right now.

"_Don't Natsu! You'll die!_" she yelled. Tears finally fell from her eyes after seeing Natsu's desperation to get to her.

"**I DON'T CARE!**" he yelled. "**I'M SAVING YOU LUCY!**"

Closing in around her, Lucy kept talking to him. "**Natsu, you have to get to us in the past! Go!**"

"**I CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE LUCY! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT YOU!**"

"**NATSU! GO!**"

"_**LUCY!**_"

Bright light came out of the gate, enveloping Natsu. A small smile formed on the blonde's face as tears continued to cascade down her cheeks.

"_Go…Natsu._"

The light vanished, Natsu was gone. He went to the past, hopefully to stop the dragons from taking over the world.

"_What a display._"

A voice rang in the air. A familiar, yet somehow different, voice to Lucy. Grasping her arm, she looked around the circle of bloodthirsty reptiles. They weren't attacking, not yet at least. They were waiting for something, a signal perhaps.

"_Who's there?!_" Lucy yelled.

"_Forgotten me already Lucy Heartfilia? Not surprised though_." Lucy heard wind blow behind her. Turning her blonde head, she saw a man in dark clothes. His hair was majority grey with black fringe for bangs. "_It _has_ been seven years._"

"_Rogue…What are you doing with the dragons?_"

"_Looking for you, actually. I found out that you and your friends had information on the gate that would be truly helpful to my cause._"

Rogue's voice was different from years ago. It was deeper, hiding some sort of emotion behind it. It didn't suit him, the way he spoke. It made Lucy dig her fingers into the stub that now is her right arm, in desperation to hide her _own_ emotion of fear.

"_And what is your cause Rogue?_"

"_To bring dragons to the past._"

Rogue's voice sent shivers down Lucy's spine. He would be the one to initiate the war with the dragons. If that happened, everyone's sacrifice would be in vain.

Rogue sent a sadistic smile towards the blonde. "_And you're going to help me, Lucy Heartfilia._"


	8. Chapter VIII

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter VIII**

Natsu didn't know what to do. Lucy was lying on the ground behind him, her head on Wendy's lap with the younger girl's glowing hands roaming her blonde hair. Happy was on Lucy's chest bawling. The other Exceeds were gathered around the sky Dragon Slayer. His other self's body laid eerily some distance away from the group.

The older Dragon Slayer looked at peace, even if his world was completely destroyed.

Rogue began to laugh. Natsu glared at him. "What did you do?!" the fire Dragon Slayer growled. His dark onyx eyes feral.

"Magic is a wonderful thing, isn't it Natsu Dragneel?" Rogue was stalling.

"What the hell did you do Rogue?!"

"She's watching a vision. That's her arm she just touched…Well, in the future that is. A mage's body is coursing with their magic, it's their lifeline. Their magic is tied to their memories, considered to be powerful in terms of influence. And with their magic continuously going through their bodies, a mage's memories could be seen if one touches the deceased mage's body. Lucy Heartfilia's no exception."

"But I only thought that it's only possible with powerful mages," Wendy said, looking back at Lucy's face that distorted in pain.

"Oh she is. In fact, she's the most powerful celestial mage in the kingdom. Possibly in the world. Do you think anyone else could possibly used Eclipse as a portal?" Rogue asked, nonchalantly.

"Then how did _you_ get here Rogue?" Natsu asked, his feral eyes narrowing into slits.

"The same way your future self came to this time period Natsu Dragneel." Rogue paused to smirk suggestively at the other Dragon Slayer, his eyes held a look Natsu didn't like. "I used your beloved partner."

Fire erupted around Natsu's body, reflecting the rage he was trying so hard to contain. The fire mage's jaw was set, clenched between each other in anger. His lips pulled back into a straight line. His hands were closed in tight fists, also covered in his flames.

"Rogue! You-"

Natsu was cut short by the screams of his partner. His flames died out as quickly as they erupted as he turned to his blonde teammate. Her body was curled up now, off of Wendy's lap who tried to calm her down. She was twitching in pain. Her voice was quiet, almost unable to be heard. But Natsu heard his name being cried out.

"_Natsu…_"

"LUCY!"

* * *

Rogue had grabbed the blonde's arm. The one that wasn't bleeding to no end. He dragged her back to the control panel for the gate. Lucy tried to get out of his grip, but she was getting tried. She was losing too much blood, so much that Lucy _knew_ she wouldn't live for much longer.

But Rogue wouldn't let her go. He wouldn't let her die in peace, not until he got his way.

"_I won't do it Rogue!_" Lucy's voice was raspy and tired.

"_Open the gate Lucy Heartfilia._" Rogue's voice was hard and demanding.

"_You'll bring destruction to our world! You're going to end civilization as we know it!_" Lucy pleaded, trying to put some sense into the shadow Dragon Slayer's mind.

"_You're pleas are falling on deaf ears, Lucy Heartfilia. Now-_" Rogue threw Lucy towards the panel, blood covering most of the buttons on it and dripping off the sides. "-_open the gate._"

Lucy stayed still. Rogue sighed and snapped his fingers. Soon, Lucy felt something breathing down her neck. She turned around, hand on the panel, gripping the side, as she came face-to-face to a dragon that had blood dripping off his jaw. Her breathing quickened as she watched the dragon spit out her arm towards Rogue.

"_We wouldn't want your _other_ arm out of use now, do we?_" Rogue said as he picked up the blonde's dismembered limb.

Lucy dry swallowed whatever spit was left in her dry throat. Turning around, Lucy quickly worked to open the gate. Tears continuously fell from her eyes to the scarf wrapped around her neck that muffled her quiet cries.

Soon enough, the gate began to glow in a blinding golden light. Rogue had a large maniacal smirk on.

"_There. Happy now Rogue?_" Lucy asked, falling to her knees. She had lost too much blood by this point to even stand on her own. She leaned her back against the panel as her breathing became laboured. Her vision was blurry and blacking out every few seconds only to return to the blurry images surrounding her.

"_Extremely Lucy Heartfilia._"

"_I don't know why you'll even bother. Natsu and I will stop your plans in the past, you won't win this war Rogue. I'll figure it out in the past, Natsu has my journal. He'll tell Fairy Tail what to do._"

"_And that's why I'll kill you in the past before Natsu, past or future, will be able to stop me._" Rogue walked over to her and stopped right before her. He knelt down, lifting her chin up with his hand to look at his eyes clouded with darkness. "_You've known Natsu long enough to know that he'll _break_ once he watches you die before his eyes._"

In one fluid motion, Rogue grabbed Natsu's scarf from Lucy's neck and slid it from her. Her eyes widened.

"_What are you doing?!_"

"_It's a greeting present for Natsu and yourself in the past. I'm sure that they'll be pleased to hear that you're doing well in the future._" Rogue wrapped Lucy's arm with the white scarf, the blood seeping into the precious fabric.

Rogue walked back to the gate with the dragons following behind him. Lucy sighed out in relief, at least she wouldn't have to die by being ripped apart.

"_I'll send your regards to your precious guild. But I did have to wait quite a while for you to open the gate and I'm most likely behind on schedule now. And my dragons don't like waiting for their meals, Lucy Heartfilia._"

Her brown eyes widened in fear. _No…He…he couldn't possibly_-

"_I hope you're able to fill their stomachs. Goodbye._" The light died out, leaving the dragons behind with Lucy.

Lucy couldn't tell, but she felt hungry eyes roaming her bloody body. She couldn't move though. She had no more strength left to and she couldn't call on her spirits, they would definitely get hurt.

She was going to die by the claws of dragons.

"_No…_" she whispered. "_Nononononono…_" She curled up in fear, hoping that the dragons would leave her to die by her blood loss.

Lucy didn't want to die like this. Not by dragons and certainly not alone. She wanted Natsu beside her. She wanted to hear him lie to her, telling her that they were going to make it out alive like they've always had…even if he knew they weren't. Seven years of lies, watching everyone die. Hearing those bloody dragons terrorize their land…And she wouldn't get to see him in her last breath.

The dragons circled around Lucy, ready to pounce on her. So, in a last ditched effort, even if he was in a different time, trying to save their future together, she called out to him.

"**NATSU!**"

She was met with silence before the roars of the dragons took over her senses.

* * *

_Sorry for the wait! Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you think via reviewing or PMs._

_I wanna thank every one of you who waited for it! I'm trying my best, honest! But I've been busy going to __counselling (_again)_ and trying to figure out my life. Which I think I have down now! I've been accepted to my first choice university for this fall and I've decided that I'll be integrating history and technology together (_weird right?_) in order to become a video game writer as well as an author. Video games, particularly _Legend of Zelda_, have been helping a lot with my mental state for the past year along with writing. So I decided that I'd really love being part of creating a game's background and plot, thus becoming a story writer for games such as LoZ and others._

_I'm really excited for my future now and I'm in a completely better position than I was March of last year. Thanks for your support and encouragement through out this year. I promise that I'll continue with my writing as long as people still want to read it!_

_THANKS FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ME!_

_Thanks again for stopping by, Tati_


	9. Chapter IX

_To show how grateful for my readers, I wrote furiously all day for the next chapter. Hope you guys like it, let me know what you think via reviews or PMs._

_Thanks again for stopping by, Tati_

_PS Glad you like my attention to details and thanks for being patient with me, __Toni boloni _(seriously, greatest pen name ever! :D :D)

* * *

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter IX**

"**NATSU!"** Lucy shot up from her curled up position, nearly hurling herself to the ground before Natsu caught her in his arms. Tears streamed down her face, falling onto Natsu's shoulder.

"Lucy! Lucy, it's me! It's me Luce!" Natsu said right by the blonde's ears.

He managed to make her stop sobbing. Her breathing was irregular, but she was catching her breath once again. Lucy looked up to Natsu and he saw it. The pure, unedited fear in the blonde's brown eyes. It wasn't because they were red from crying, or even watery. She had _saw_ something by touching her future self's arm. And it terrified her.

"Lucy, you're safe now," Natsu said, releasing one of his hands from her shoulder and placing it one her cheek, reeking of salty tears. "Lucy, listen to my voice."

"Na-Natsu…" she said between deep breaths. "I…I was…after you-"

"Luce, nothing's going to happen. Whatever happened to you, after you managed to get me to the past, it won't happen. I'll keep you safe. I'll change fate."

Lucy saw it in his eyes. Natsu was worried, beyond worried probably. She just lost it after watching Natsu and herself die. Imagine how Natsu feels right now, knowing that he hadn't saved her or even be there when she died in the future, and watching her become so emotional after he _died._

Lucy saw the pain she was causing her best friend.

Laughter rang out behind them. Natsu growled, tightening his grip on Lucy before standing up in a protective stance in front of the blonde. Rogue was nearly doubled over in laughter. Natsu's fists were once again clenched with flames surrounding them.

"You can't protect her Natsu Dragneel. She will die, either by my hand or by the dragons," the shadow Dragon Slayer said calmly.

"I promised I would protect her, and I don't break my promises," Natsu said, the anger evident in his voice.

"Natsu…" Lucy whispered.

"Happy," Natsu called.

The blue Exceed sniffed before answering his partner. "Yeah?"

"You and the others get Lucy out of here," the fire Dragon Slayer said. "Take her outside, away from here."

"Natsu-san," Wendy said, "are you sure you'll be able to handle-"

"I'll be fine. Just get her out of here." He looked over to lock eyes with the younger Dragon Slayer. "Take her to the gate."

"But, Natsu what happens if I mess up? What if I-"

Natsu turned around, placing his forehead on hers. "I trust you Luce. If you decide to do something, whether it's to close the gate or not, I know you'll have a reason for it and I'll be right behind you, alright? Like how you believe in me, I believe in you Luce."

Lucy's brown eyes widened at her partner's words. Natsu sighed lifting his forehead from hers. She missed the slight warmth he had provided, but it was quickly replaced by a chaste kiss from Natsu.

"Now, get out of here. I need you safe."

Lucy wasn't sure if she was getting warmer from the flames erupting around Natsu as he turned back around to face Rogue or that she was blushing because of the kiss he gave her, but the blonde sure didn't want that warmth to fade away anytime soon as she placed a hand on her forehead before standing up.

"Stay safe Natsu. You have to return to me in one piece…" Lucy paused before whispering, "_please._"

"You got it."

"Let's go Lucy-san."

"Yeah."

Wendy ran in front of the blonde with Carle and Lily at the younger slayer's sides. The blonde ran behind them, lagging slightly as she watched Natsu's flames take over most of the hallway and blocking her view of Rogue, with Happy on her shoulder.

"You think he'll be fine?" the blue Exceed asked, worry clearly laced in his voice.

"Of course," Lucy said, putting on a small smile for him. Reaching for his head, the blonde scratched the back of his ear. "He's Natsu, he'll be fine."

* * *

Natsu was beyond pissed. This just wasn't his day. Lucy was kidnapped. And once he found her again they get separated, _again_. Next he and the rest of the gang nearly get killed by executioners and soldiers alike. And now he's facing some crazy lunatic version of Rogue from the future who tried to kill Lucy. Not to mention meeting his future self and missing the final day of the games. Gods, it wasn't his day at _all_.

But, he guessed he could take all of his pent up anger and stress out on Rogue. He's the main reason that Natsu's pissed right?

"You can't protect her Natsu Dragneel. If I don't get to her, the dragons will. And there's nothing that will stop her fate," Rogue said.

"Please," Natsu said, cracking his knuckles of his flaming hands. "I promised _myself_ that I would protect her future along with everyone else's. There's no chance in hell that I'm going to break a promise I made with Lucy or with me."

Natsu ran towards the shadow Dragon Slayer, thrusting a fist towards him. Rogue moved slightly, missing the fist only by a bit. Natsu made contact with the wall behind him, cracking the stone to bits. The fire Dragon Slayer smirked at the widened eye of the man before him that disappeared as quickly as it showed up.

Rogue huffed out a breath. "Why do you go through such lengths?" Rogue's arm was covered in shadows as he swiped it across, aiming for Natsu's chest. He let out a '_tch_' as Natsu jumped out of his arm's reach. "Put so much effort for a single woman?"

"Lucy's not just a woman!" Natsu ran back to Rogue, swinging his leg covered in flames, that the older man managed to block with his arms but was kicked into a wall. "She's important to so many that you can't even count. She means so much to me that you can't even _begin _to understand."

Rogue spat out some blood before looking up to Natsu hanging over him. The pinkette's eyes flaring with anger. His expression was far from being sympathetic for the older man.

"That was your _first_ mistake Rogue, attempting to kill someone from Fairy Tail. Your second, trying to kill Lucy in front of _me_. And third? Pissing me off by doing so."

Natsu picked him up from the collar of his clothes. Rogue struggled in his grasp, trying to get out of it before he knocks him out, or worse.

"You lost, Rogue."

From the corner of his eye, Rogue spotted a small shadow hidden behind Natsu.

Rogue began to chuckle. He smirked to Natsu, who was confused. "I haven't lost yet Natsu Dragneel." With a simple flick of his wrist, the shadow behind Natsu grew and knocked Natsu to where his counterpart from the future lay dead. Rogue gracefully fell to the ground on his feet.

"Gah!" Natsu yelled as he made contact with the ground.

Rogue walked over to the fire Dragon Slayer, the clicks of his boots sounded like taunts to Natsu. The shadows around Rogue began covering Natsu, almost like he was being dragged into the depths of hell.

The older slayer crouched down as Natsu's head was all that remained above the shadows, a taunting smile gracing his lips. "I'll send your regards to that _beloved_ blonde woman of yours Natsu Dragneel. I'm sure she'll be _full _of emotion when she hears of your fate and broken promise."

"_Don't you __**dare!**_" Natsu croaked out, attempting to sound menacing but failing at it. Those damn shadows were draining his power.

"Don't fret, she'll be joining you soon enough…" He began walking away, stepping Future Natsu's corpse. "In death."

"ROGUE!" Natsu yelled as his head was pulled under the shadows and darkness surrounded every part of him. He began losing consciousness, his eyes closing slowly. As he let his mind drift away, he had a final thought.

**_LUCY!_**


	10. Chapter X

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter X**

**LUCY!**

Said blonde flinched, looking around the area of bushes she and the others were hiding from the palace guards in front of the Eclipse gate.

_I…I thought I heard Natsu's voice._ The blonde took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Shaking her head, as an attempt to rid of negative thoughts that began looming in the back of her mind. _Stop that Lucy! He said that he'll be fine…Just believe in him like always._

"You okay Lushie?" Happy asked, the feline's face contorted in worry.

Lucy smiled at him, stroking his head in comfort. "Don't worry about me Happy. I'll be fine."

"Worried about Natsu?" he asked.

She slowly nodded, "A bit. But, he'll be fine. I believe in him, and you do too, right Happy?"

"Aye sir!"

"Keep it down Happy!" Carle said, hitting his head gently.

"_Aye!_" he whispered.

Lucy smiled before looking over her shoulder to stare at the direction of where Natsu would be fighting Rogue.

_Stay safe Natsu._

* * *

It was ridiculously dark where Natsu was. It felt that he was drowning…in thick syrup…with no chance of getting out. Rogue's shadows made the fire Dragon Slayer nauseous, maybe more so than when he was on the train.

_Gotta get outta here!_ He looked around, or least turned his head, finding nothing but darkness. There was no light. _Dammit!_

He needed to get out there. To get back to Lucy's side before Rogue gets to her. But with no way out, how in the hell was he going to get to her?!

_Natsu…_

A flicker caught his eye, looking towards it. There was something in the distance, calling out to him.

_Natsu!_

The light got stronger. Was it…Lucy? It was possible, she always managed to pull him out of the dark when he needed her the most. He reached out to the light as it came closer to him.

_Luce…_

_Natsu! C'mon! Lucy needs you! Right now!_

_Wait…_That wasn't Lucy. She sounded older, and not, well, Lucy. But before he could continue thinking of who, or what, was dragging him out of the shadows, the light had completely engulfed him as he felt something grab his hand and pull him out.

His surroundings turned from blinding light to the hallway he had fought Rogue in, next to his other counterpart. He was on his back, looking up to the ceiling with Ultear and Meredy looking down at him with worried faces.

"You guys…"

"Jesus Natsu!" Ultear said, she leaned back on her hands and leaning her head back while staring at the ceiling. "You freaking scared us."

"Where's Rogue?"

"Rogue?" Meredy asked. "He's with the other mages, preparing for-"

"No, not that Rogue! There's another Rogue, from the future."

"Like this guy?" Ultear asked, looking over to the corpse of Future Natsu. "He met up with Jellal recently. We know that the dragons are coming."

"And Lucy?"

"I don't know where she is. She should be safe though. You would know, right?" Meredy said.

Natsu sighed, he would definitely know if Lucy got hurt…or worse. She was fine. He just needed to deal with Rogue before anything happens.

Standing up, Natsu staggered a bit as he walked over to where Future Lucy's arm and Future Natsu's scarf were.

"Oi, oi, oi. You just went through some sort of shadowy hell, you sure you're able to walk?" Ultear warned.

"If I sit by and wait, the less time we have to fight against the dragons." Natsu turned back to his counterpart, kneeling next to him. "We need to make every second count, for him, for Luce, for everyone who was sacrificed in the future to get him here." _I promised you, didn't I?_

Natsu placed the arm wrapped in the scarf onto the older Dragon Slayer's chest. He placed his hands on his knees, gripping them tightly. Taking a deep breath, she smelled Lucy's older scent lingering on him, especially around the cloak wrapped around his waist. With quick fingers, he unwrapped the cloak, wrapping it around his own.

_You and Luce took on everything for the sake other everyone else. Thank you…for protecting our futures._

Natsu stood up, walking past Meredy and Ultear. "I'll take it from here."

"You sure Natsu?" Meredy asked. "Your magic was just drained and you're still injured from the fight with Sting and Rogue."

"I'll be fine."

Natsu looked in the distant in front of him, his eyes glaring and full of fire.

"Everyone's future comes first."


	11. Chapter XI

_So, there's a pretty big timeskip. I decided to write more on the story that lead to the more important parts, but there are explanations to what happened._

* * *

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter XI**

"WENDY! MIRA! HELP ME!" Lucy whined as she struggled to get out of a dragon's claws.

Now by this time, Mira and Yukino met up with Lucy, Wendy and the Exceeds as the princess of Fiore opened the gate, releasing dragons through a time portal connecting to a past where dragons still roamed the land.

But luckily, Lucy figured it out with the help of her spirit Crux.

Lucy had managed to close the gate with Yukino and their spirits before any real damage was dealt to the capital. But that still left seven dragons to deal with. The others started spreading out, following Future Rogue's orders…But one picked a fight with Wendy…By using the blonde as bait, first taking off her already nearly-ripped-to-shreds clothes and then threatening to eat her. Literally, _eat _her.

The blonde began spilling crocodile tears as she remembered that Natsu said dragons were nice and never ate humans.

_Natsu, you liar…_ "GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!" Wendy aimed for the underbelly of the dragon.

Which caught him off guard, good. But that made him drop Lucy in the process, bad…More like throwing her to some unknown distance, bad, _very _bad.

"Lucy-san!" Wendy yelled.

"Lucy!" Mira yelled.

"KYAAAAA!" Lucy screamed as she flew through the air.

"I got her!" Happy yelled, flying behind her.

"WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAPPEN TO ME?!" she screamed.

* * *

"Dammit Rogue!" Natsu glared at the older slayer as he stood on a building in front of the dragon he stood.

"That damn woman stopped the entire armada Natsu Dragneel, you're right about something…She's not just a simpleton."

"Ha. Of course, it's Lucy we're talking about," Natsu scoffed.

"Even so, having seven dragons at my disposal will suffice. Especially when I'll have them devour that blonde."

"You wouldn't _dare_."

Rogue had that sadistic smirk on his face again. "I guess you'll have to see and-"

"NATSU!" Happy yelled as he hovered over the pinkette's head. "EMERGENCY!"

"Happy! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to look after Lucy!" Natsu yelled, not bothering to hide his concern for his blonde partner.

"Yeah…'bout Lushie…" Happy pointed a paw towards the direction he came from.

"Happy, this isn't time for games!" Natsu huffed as he turned around to face the direction his partner was pointing at. "This better be im-"

"HAPPY YOU DAMN CAT!"

Natsu's eyes widened as he saw his partner, Lucy, thrashing through the air, aiming towards them…Naked.

"Might as well walk through the battlefield like that Lucy," he muttered to himself, shaking his head in shame.

"NATSU!" Lucy's voice rang out.

Said slayer looked up, to see that Lucy was about to make impact with him. "GAH! LUCY!" he yelled.

They collided with each other, knocking Natsu off the building he stood on and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Future Rogue stared of to where the pair rolled off to.

"STOP PUTTING YOUR FACE ON MY BOOBS!"

"STOP PUTTING YOUR BOOBDS IN MY FACE!" Natsu began feeling queasy and began turning green. "_Bleh…I'm getting sick._"

"Don't you **dare **get sick on me," Lucy warned in a low voice.

"_Then stop this ride!_"

"We're not _even_ on a vehicle!"

"_But we're moving!_"

"Shut up Nat-SU!"

The two managed to land on a pile of crates with Natsu on the bottom, face all in Lucy's chest, and taking the brunt of the fall for her. Lucy immediately got off him, covering herself.

"Every time there's a life-or-death situation, I end up naked and you see it," Lucy huffed. She turned, looking at Natsu. He was pretty beat up, the fight he had after she left with Rogue must've had a toll on him, especially after the battle he had with the Twins the day before. "You alright?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah." He stopped rubbing his head to wipe drool from his mouth. "I'm fine."

"You look like you've been through hell."

"Something like that Luce. But," he said, standing up and walking over to her, "you're safe."

"Thanks to you. But you took a lot of hits while doing so Natsu…" She sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Lucy. You managed to stop most of the dragon armada from coming into our time, I don't regret it."

Roars of dragons echoed through the ruined streets. Natsu sighed looking around in the flame filled sky.

"Damn…we have to do something about these dragons. Before they start laying and we have to deal with hatchlings along with full-grown dragons."

Lucy saw a blanket on the ground and picked it up to wrap it around herself. "I only wish that I could've done something."

"For him?" He meant Future Natsu.

"Of course, I watched you die, Natsu. I watched you _die _in my arms. I _should've _done something."

"But that would've mean you'd die Lucy," Happy said, swooping from mid-air and landing on his partner's shoulder. "That would've been worst."

"I guess…but Happy, Natsu-"

"I didn't die Luce." Natsu was looking into her brown eyes, he held a serious look. "And I _won't _die anytime soon."

She sighed, looking away from him and staring at the cobblestone ground. "If you keep protecting me, you will," Lucy mumbled, knowing that his hearing would pick it up.

"Luce…"

"You don't know what it felt, Natsu." She looked back at him, staring hard at his onyx eyes. "I watched you die, doing something you always do. While protecting _me. _I don't want you to die."

"Luce," Natsu sighed. "I won't die, I'll always come back to the guild and back to you. S don't worry about it."

"But Natsu, what happens if-"

"Nothing will happen. To me or the guild, and especially not to you. Believe in me, like you always have."

Lucy looked up to Natsu, his eyes held the same look like before. A look that could always give her hope, the reason why she'd believed that Natsu will always pull through after everything that happened to them and their guild. He was hoping that she would believe in him, that everything will turn out fine.

Lucy closed her eyes, nodding slowly. Natsu smiled, not grinned for he wasn't in the right mood for it. "Thanks Luce. Now, time to deal with those dragons." Natsu stopped to look at Lucy's near-naked form. "What happened to you anyways? Catch Gray's habit or something?"

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled.

"One of the dragons that came out of the gate took off her clothes," Happy said, flying over his partners. "He's a pervert."

"Indeed he was," Lucy said.

"Dragons aren't pervs, Igneel never made me strip," Natsu said.

"It's one of his abilities, the dragon said." Lucy pushed her hair back. "Taking away people's dignity just to eat them."

"Eat?" Natsu asked, a spark appearing in his eyes.

Lucy caught it.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just eating a meal."

"A meal? In the middle of a battle field Natsu?"

"Ooh yeah." Natsu grabbed Lucy by the shoulders, which made her covering fall from her body. "Thanks Lucy, you just gave me the greatest idea! C'mon Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

The two turned, heading back to the battle. Lucy stood where they left her, dumfounded.

"Wait guys!" She picked up the blanket on the ground before about to start running after them.

"Lucy! Stay safe! I'll finish it with Rogue once and for all! Then we'll go on more adventures together, ne?!"

Lucy stopped in her tracks, staring at their distancing backs and waving arms.

"Stay safe Natsu…" she whispered.

"Hohoho, Hime. Getting comfortable with Natsu-sama dressed like that."

"GAH!" Lucy jumped, turning around and facing Virgo in behind her. "Virgo! Don't scare me like that!"

"I figured that you needed some clothes so I came out on my own accord and brought some from the Celestial Spirit World…unless you'd rather have Natsu-sama see you as you are." The pink-haired spirit had one of her coy smirks on with mischievous blue eyes.

"Stop teasing me Virgo! You're worse than H-"

Something caught the blonde's eye. A journal, a familiar journal. Her _own _journal hidden in a crevice between barrels.

_My journal…What's it doing here? I swear it should be back home on my desk._

The blonde picked it up, dusting off debris from broken buildings. Flipping through it, Lucy noticed it was different. Most of it was her own writing, but there was some other familiar messy writing. _Natsu's _writing.

"Why is there Natsu's writing in my journal?" Lucy asked.

As she skimmed through the pages, she noticed this wasn't her own journal…It was her future's journal.

* * *

_So, chapter 11 is finished, and the story is nearing an end. I'm planning to finish this story in another three chapters and adding an epilogue at the end. Hope you're looking forward to the finale. Let me know what you think via leaving a review or a PM._

_Thanks again for reading, Tati_


	12. Chapter XII

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter XII**

**July 9****th****, X791**

_Two days after the dragon's invaded Fiore. Me and Natsu got separated from the rest of the guild. Happy's with us, of course, currently sleeping on my lap as I scribble down in my journal. Natsu's on lookout, he says it's better for me to write down what's happened instead of worrying about the dragons._

_ They came out of nowhere. I don't know how they managed to get here, there hasn't been a sighting of a single dragon in _years_. Probably since Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers lost sight of their dragons fourteen years ago…How did they get here?  
_

_Natsu's looking outside of the cave we're hiding in. Dragons had destroyed Crocus, and we hadn't managed to get out of here. Natsu doesn't show it to me or Happy, but he has a worried face on…Probably thinking on how he'll keep us safe.  
_

_We're planning to get back to Magnolia, back to the guildhall. Hopefully the others managed to get there in one piece, or at least alive.  
_

_I'm scared, obviously. These dragons, they're powerful. _Very _powerful. Natsu could barely make a dent in their numbers, and I consider him the strongest slayer we have. And they've spread all over the kingdom, the continent even. It's only a matter of time when the dragons take over the world.  
_

_But I have my team with me, even if it's missing Erza and Gray. I know they'll be fine though. Happy will be safe with me and Natsu will watch over us like he always had.  
_

_A dragon roared above in the skies. I flinched, Natsu noticed. He walked over to me, sitting next to me against the side of the cave. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him, with my head resting against his shoulder.  
_

_It'll be fine Luce, he said. I'm right here and I'll keep you safe.  
_

_I know he will. He always has, I always believed he'll be there to keep the guild and me safe…But what if it's too much for him? That he'll start breaking down from the pressure? What if he decides it's too much for him to handle and he'll leave? Or worst…  
_

_I hadn't noticed that I was shaking until Natsu held me tighter. I'll never leave you Lucy, he said, as if he was reading my mind. Or I had just become predictable to him from the amount of time we spent together. I'll keep you safe.  
_

_I felt tears prick my eyes but I blinked them away. I nodded, believing in him like I always have.._

_Lucy_

* * *

Lucy continuously flipped through the pages, managing to read the gist of every entry after the most recent she wrote in her time. Her breathing was ragged and tears streamed down her face.

It was too real, and too close to home. One wrong move and these seemingly fictional entries she, _herself_, wrote would become real. Death would be around every corner. Dragons basically ruled the kingdom, the continent…The _world._

Lucy knew she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let everything she and her guild had worked for slip through the cracks. There was so much at stake but there wasn't much she could do.

She hadn't saved the future, only postponed it. With Motherglare's ability to lay eggs, the number of dragons would definitely increase from the measly seven that this war started with. She didn't know how much her fellow mages could manage with the threat.

_But how can I stop it?_ Lucy thought. There was no way she knew to stop it.

Lucy grumbled in frustration, dropping the journal on the ground. "This is so fustrating!" Lucy crossed her arms, gripping the clothes she was given to by Virgo. "I don't know how to stop the dragons."

"Don't be discouraged Hime, you'll find a way," her maid spirit said.

"But Virgo, I don't know what do to." Glancing from Virgo to the ground, Lucy stared at the last page that the journal opened to as she dropped it. "There's nothing I-"

Something caught her eye in the journal. Picking it up for closer inspection, the last page had her and Natsu's writing in it. Her eyes widened, reading through the words she and Natsu wrote.

_A way to stop this whole thing from happening!_

"Virgo! I have to get this to Natsu and the others! I have to the gate!" Lucy said, slamming her journal shut and running back to the gate. "Go back and tell the others to be ready for battle."

"Yes Hime," the maid spirit said, bowing before disappearing in golden light.

"This!" Lucy said, gripping the journal tighter as well continued to run. "This will turn the tide! For sure! And I'll put my life on the line to save everyone."

* * *

**June 21****st****, X798  
**

_It's Natsu's birthday and everyone's dead or nearly dead. Team Natsu's final mission as a whole was rough and ragged with dragons. Natsu and I are the final members on the team, and now we're outside of the capital…or former capital.  
_

_From the tales other travelling survivors say, Crocus is completely overrun by dragons. It'll be tricky, but Natsu and I needed to get back to the palace, to the gate. __Going to the past and telling them how to stop everything from happening was the only way to stop the dragon invasion. Destroying the Eclipse gate in the past is the __only way to save them and their futures._

_ It's going to be hard to get in, _without _being noticed. And going through the streets with dragons over our heads. But we had to do it. Our team died to get us to where we are. And I can't let their efforts go to waste.  
_

_Natsu and I…We have each other. And we'll be fine in the end. If either one of us gets across the gate and travelled back in time, it's enough to stop the chaos in ours._

_Lucy_

_ SHE'S GONE! SHE'S FUCKING GONE! AND…And…it's all my fault. I left her alone in the end, I promised her I _**wouldn't**_. That I would _**never**_ leave her alone._

_ And yet, here I am. In the past while Lucy was killed by those dragons surrounding her._

_ It's my fault. I…I, who always protected her all these years, who kept her safe from those damn dragons, wasn't strong enough to take on those dragons that attacked her. I couldn't even deal damage to the one who took away her pride, her everything. I couldn't kill the dragon that took away her right hand, the hand with her guild mark on it._

_ I have to find her. I have to _see _her in this time. To hold her once more, to actually say goodbye when I couldn't when my Luce died. But the Lucy in this time isn't mine, I know that. Mine was dead, back in the future. But I needed Lucy right now. I needed to find my lost light_

_ I couldn't go on with my life, living without her. Or at least seeing her. I know I have to tell everyone what will happen if we didn't stop the armada from invading. But it's hard, living without Luce._

_ I should know that if we succeed, I'll see her again. But with everything that's happened over these seven years, living with the looming threat of dragons killing us, I've lost hope. I can't believe in anything anymore, I can't believe in myself when Lucy put all of her faith in me._

_ Look where it all lead to…Lucy's dead, and I'm alone. On the verge of death without her._

_ I could stop it, even if I didn't have anymore strength left in my body or magic, I could stop it. They, our past selves, needed to know how to stop the dragons from travelling from their future. Like Luce said, the only way is to stop the disruption of time created by the Eclipse gate. Destroying the gate is the only way to save the future. To save _our_ future…To save Luce._

* * *

_Damn...That was some serious shit Natsu wrote. Hope you all liked it, and aren't too sad that it's coming to an end. Let me know what you think of it via reviewing and leaving me a PM._

_Thanks again for stopping by, Tati_


	13. Chapter XIII

_I'm on an uploading hot streak! Dayum! Anyways, the second-last chapter _(epilogue not included)_ of the story. I'm actually really sad. It's almost done now. Hope you like it, there's a few fight scenes in it. _(Pardon my lack of epicness in the fight scenes, I'm working on trying to get better at writing them)_. This one's pretty long but enjoy!_

* * *

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Chapter XIII**

"ROGUE!" Natsu yelled, sanding on top of Atlas Flame. After discovering their mutual connection to Igneel, the two masters of flames decided to fight against the shadow Dragon Slayer together. "It ends now!"

"Please Natsu Dragneel!" Rogue laughed. Motherglare, the dragon he rode, spread its wings out, making itself look larger than it already was. "I'll defeat you and you're precious family will succumb to the dragons' rule. There will be nothing that will stand in my way."

"_Ha! That will never happen with the Son of Igneel here!_" Atlas Flame yelled.

"That's right Uncle! Let's go!"

"Motherglare!"

The other dragon roared as the two majestic beasts collided with each other. They held each other at bay as their riders fought one another. Flames mingled with shadows. Natsu constantly attacked, trying to get the upper hand on Rogue. Rogue flung whips of shadows at the other slayer, trying to knock him off Atlas Flame.

"You can't win Natsu Dragneel! Not against me or the dragons!" Rogue yelled.

"I _will _win, Rogue Cheney! I promised so many that I would, and I _never_ break my promises." _Especially ones I made to Luce_. "I don't care what it takes or what happens to me! I'll fulfill that promise!"

"Please! Once the dragons and I take over, that promise will be irrelevant! I'll kill those dear to you, like I have before! Starting…" Rogue's face split in a sadistic grin. "With that Heartfilia girl of yours."

All Natsu saw after that was red. He charged at Rogue, despite Atlas Flame's warnings. He wouldn't even get _close _to Lucy, let alone even _touch_ her.

Natsu jumped into the air, the Dragon Slayer's fists lit aflame. "_Fire Dragon's_-" Natsu's fist aimed for Rogue "-_IRON FIST_!"

Rogue held up an arm in defence, able to stop Natsu's attack. Veins popped out of Natsu's neck and jaw line as he watched Rogue's smirk grow.

"You'll never be able to defeat me with that kind of attack."

"_TCH!_"

"_Natsu! You're blinded by anger!_" Atlas Flame yelled. "_Regain your thoughts!_"

Natsu was never a man of thoughts, action was his game and he took pride in everything he did. If someone managed to tick him off, he wouldn't stop himself even if he could. Rather than thinking it out, he'd rather punch the living daylights out of the problem to deal with his anger. Especially when it came to his guild mates and _especially _when it came to Lucy.

"_You don't _**ever**_ touch Lucy! Not even over my dead body!_**"** Natsu growled, his flames rage became fiercer with his growing anger.

"Ho? The dragon angry? Did the threat I made to your mate make you red with rage?" Rogue taunted.

"_Shut the hell up Rogue!_" Natsu yelled.

"Cool it Dragneel!" Rogue yelled back. His other arm that wasn't holding the fire Dragon Slayer had shadows crawling on it, forming a blade at his wrists. "Die!"

The shadow Dragon Slayer quickly slashed Natsu's left side. The other slayer's eyes widened as he coughed up blood. He glanced his onyx eyes down to the two cross-shaped cuts Rogue had caused, blood pouring from them. He dropped his fist, flames extinguished. Rogue lifted his leg, kicking Natsu off the dragon.

"_Natsu!_" he heard Atlas Flame yell.

"Goodbye, Natsu Dragneel. I'll be sending your woman soon."

_No...I couldn't_-_I wasn't strong enough. Everything's my fault. I wasn't able to-_

A voice pulled him from those negative thoughts. The only voice that could pull him away from the shadows in his mind. That voice was his light.

"**_NATSU!_**" she screamed.

_Lucy…_

* * *

Lucy panted as she ran across the battlefield. She had heard the shouts of her guild mates fighting against the baby dragons. She couldn't stop. Lucy had to get rid of the gate, or else this hell will continue. And she could barely stop the dragons coming after her, let alone helping her guild.

_But if this works…Everyone will be saved. Everyone will be safe in the end._

And that's when she saw it. The scene of two dragons, one covered in flames and the other covered in what looked like stones, holding off each other as their riders fought it out on their backs. Natsu and Rogue. Both looking magnificent in their own accord. Rogue, looking all powerful standing on the dragon's head as if he was already king of them.

And Natsu…He looked brilliant with the flames of the fire dragon behind him. As if the dragon was an extension of his own power and made him look more beautiful than he usually did when Natsu used his power to the full extent. Flames licking his body, but not leaving a single mark on him. The hard glare the fire Dragon Slayer held deepened in the light of the fire dragon's flames.

Natsu suddenly jumped, his fist lit and aiming for Rogue's face. But instead of making contact with the shadow Dragon Slayer's face, Rogue was able to block it with one of his arms. Rogue smiled and spoke to him, probably taunting him on some matter.

"_Natsu! You're blinded by anger!_" the fire dragon yelled at her partner. "_Regain your thoughts!_"

He was blind, his eyes were probably filled with only the colour red. Lucy knew how he got when he's angry, it was never pretty. But it always managed to put strength into his attacks. He looked extremely upset to Lucy, but it had no effect on Rogue or on his attacks…To the blonde, it looked like his attack was weaker than it usually would be with that kind of emotion.

"_You don't _**ever**_ touch Lucy! Not even over my dead body!_" Natsu growled. His flames grew in size and in heat.

Rogue continued to taunt Natsu about the guild and his _woman_. Lucy's eyes widened.

_He can't be talking about me? Right?_

"_Shut the hell up Rogue!"_

Rogue's arm that didn't hold Natsu's fist formed into a blade of shadows, slicing Natsu's side twice. Lucy's eyes shrank in fear and began running towards Natsu as Rogue kicked him on the dragon.

_Nonononono! This _can't _be happening! Not Natsu! _Tears began streaming down her face.

"**_NATSU!_**" she screamed. Grabbing her keys, she pulled out Aries key. "ARIES!" In a blinding light and sound of a bell, the small-framed ram spirit appeared in front of Lucy. "HELP WITH NATSU'S FALL! _PLEASE!_"

"YES!" Extending her arm, wool shot out from a magic circle, quickly forming underneath Natsu, ready to take the impact from hitting the ground.

Natsu landed on the wool that immediately disappeared once he was on it. The blonde ran over to where the Dragon Slayer laid. She kneeled next to him, overlooking his wounds. He was beat up, yes. He was bleeding from the wound Rogue just inflicted on him, yes. His breathing was ragged, yes. But he was alive.

"Natsu…" Lucy pleaded.

"Lucy-san." Said blonde looked up to see her spirit holding wool in her hand. "To stop the bleeding."

"Thank you Aries," Lucy said, quickly taking the wool from her spirit and pressing it onto Natsu's wound. _Please Natsu! Wake up!_

"That woman!" she heard Rogue yell from above. "Motherglare! Call for the hatchlings!"

The dragon Rogue was on roared. The roar was followed by loud cries surrounding her, Natsu, and Aries. Looking up, the baby dragons were surrounding her. Eyeing them, waiting for a chance to attack them.

"Damn…" Lucy muttered under her breath. "Aries, go back."

"But Lucy-san-"

Lucy pulled out Loke's key. "I'll be fine! Go!"

"Y-Yes…" Aries disappeared high a poof.

"LOKE!" With another flash of golden light followed by a bell, Loke stood in front of Lucy dressed in his suit. "Hold them off till I get Natsu out of here."

"Yes Lucy!" Loke's hands began glowing in bright light as he went towards the hatchlings.

Lucy turned away from her spirit, to her partner. He looked better than before, which she was thankful for. He would live, but she still needed to get to the gate. Lifting her hand to her mouth, Lucy gnawed on her fingernail as she thought up a plan as her other hand held on to Natsu's.

Natsu grunted, opening his eyes. Lucy didn't look at him, only gripped his hand tighter in her grasp.

"Luce?"

"I…I don't know what to do Natsu." Lucy let his hand go, removing her other from her mouth to use both to cover her face. "The dragons…They're everywhere. And the only way to end it is to destroy the gate…But anyone who can is stuck fighting those damn babies and you're…You nearly died." Lucy began sobbing into her hands, her cries echoing in the area the two were in.

It broke Natsu's heart. He hated it when Lucy cried. Slowly Natsu sat up, using one hand he propped himself. He reached for Lucy with his other arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. Her heard her gasp next to his ear and whispering his name.

"I'll do it."

"Wha? Natsu!" She tried to pull away but he held on to her tighter. "You're injured, badly. You can't possibly defeat Rogue or the dragons in that condition, let alone the gate. I'll…" She paused, trying to think up someway to sugar coat her words. "I'll figure it out. Don't worry, everything will-"

"LUCY!" The voice of her spirit made her turn around, seeing Loke defeated by the hoard of baby dragons. "I'm…I'm sorry."

"Loke!" she yelled as he disappeared back to his world with a poof. "Damn."

Lucy saw the hoard closing in on her and Natsu, but she couldn't do a thing about it. Her magic was nearly depleted and if she used anymore she could possibly die. Gripping Natsu's vest, she buried her face into her chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and taking in his heat for what probably was the last time. She waited for the end to come.

_But…at least I have Natsu._

Natsu was dense when it came to feelings. Like I said before, he was a man of action not words, and extensively, not feelings. But his feelings fuelled his actions more so than any words spoken from the other guild members towards him. Especially when those feelings are from or directed to a certain blonde in the guild.

He always knew that he felt a sudden and uncontrollable urge to protect Lucy, he wasn't sure why at first. Maybe it was the way she looked vulnerable when they first spent time together or because she didn't have that much strength compared to the other members of their guild. But no, it wasn't any of those reasons.

Rogue was right on one thing and one thing _only_. Lucy was his and his alone. There was no way in all of Earthland and Edolas that Natsu would let anyone take her away from him…Not now or in the future.

Natsu let his magic go wild. Flames erupted around him and Lucy, shocking in the process. She looked around, the baby dragons were burned by the flames her partner produced. She heard their pain-filled cries. Natsu's fire should be hurting her if they were hurting and killing those dragons. But it wasn't, instead, the flames felt like the warm hug Natsu gave her just moments before.

Natsu let go of Lucy, standing up in front of her, holding her hand. "Everything will be fine in the end Luce. I promised you already, I'll come back to you, right?"

Lucy saw it in his onyx eyes, hope that always burned brightly in times of dark. Her light. But there was something else that his eyes held for her. She might've been seeing things, considering that she thought that they both were going to die mere seconds before, but the blonde saw love in his eyes.

"Get away from here and meet me by the gate when I finish with Rogue."

"Are you sure you'll can handle it?" Lucy asked. "I'm still worried about your wounds."

Natsu tightened the cloak that he had tied around his waist. It covered the injury from Rogue, it'll probably hold off until he got a chance to see Wendy in the end. "All I have to do is destroy the gate, right?"

Lucy nodded, knowing Natsu wouldn't stop. "Yes."

Natsu nodded, "Get outta here Luce. I don't want you to get hurt in the process."

"Alright Natsu…But, promise me, that you'll definitely come back to me."

The fire Dragon Slayer looked into Lucy's concerned eyes. She was biting her lip to keep her sobs in. In any other situation, he'd probably think it was adorable. But, he couldn't because she was worried about him.

The slayer's face broke out into his infamous grin, canines shown and all. "You got it Luce!"

Seeing the grin on his face and hearing the optimism in his voice made Lucy stop biting her lip and parting her lips in awe. After everything this week, the Games, her kidnapping and near death, and the death of _himself_, he was still showing that child-like, lovable grin of his.

Putting on a slight smile, Lucy nodded, running towards the gate again. "I'll see you soon Natsu."

"Yeah!" The pinkette watched the blonde disappear from sight. "Now…" He turned back to where Rogue was. He gripped Future Lucy's cloak tightly in his hand. "_Let's finish this Rogue._"

"Has the dragon forgotten what happened before?" Rogue asked, his voice full of fake concern.

"Uncle!" Natsu yelled as he ran towards the fire dragon.

Climbing on to the dragon's leg, Atlas Flame flew into the air. Rogue began laughing.

"You think you could hide in the skies Natsu Dragneel!" Rogue yelled. "Motherglare!"

Motherglare roared, spreading out his wings and flying into the air in front of Atlas Flame and Natsu.

"Let's go!" Natsu said.

"_Alright!_" Atlas Flame yelled.

"You'll pay for this Natsu Dragneel!"

The two dragons collided with each other, holding each other at bay once again. Natsu erupted in flames and ran off his dragons to Motherglare, his magic coursing with emotions. He began throwing punches and kicks, most of them landing on Rogue. Rogue was being pushed back.

"Damn!" Rogue looked down to Motherglare. "Motherglare! Take care of Natsu's dragon!"

The dragon roared, swiping his arm to the flame dragon, knocking him off balance. Atlas Flame roared in pain, Natsu looked back to the falling dragon.

"Uncle!" he yelled.

Rogue smirked, punching Natsu's face, sending him off Motherglare.

"Damn!"

"_Natsu!_"

Said slayer looked over his shoulder as he fell in the sky. He noticed that one of Atlas Flame's legs was bent, as if he was waiting for Natsu to land on it and was ready to launch him into their opponents. Natsu grinned, flipping in the air, his legs in a crouching position. Once he landed on Atlas Flame, the dragon thrust his leg towards the underbelly of the other dragon.

"_ROGUE!_" Natsu yelled.

Said shadow mage looked over the edge of Motherglare, seeing Natsu rapidly flying in the air.

"_Fire Dragon's_-" Natsu's entire was lit aflame, his head being the most covered "**_Sword Horn!_**"

Natsu head butted the dragon's jaw, making him fall backwards, nearly making Rogue fall. Natsu, still covered in his flames, saw the gate some distance away. Smiling when he spotted brilliant golden hair in the midst of the wreckage of the city near the gate, Natsu in the middle of the air dispersed his flames around his body, now concentrating them around his leg.

"_Fire Dragon's—__**Claw!**_" Natsu kicked the dragon with all of his strength towards the gate, able to make him fall above the gate.

The fire Dragon Slayer watched as Rogue, who looked like he was out of ideas, frantically looked around him. With a straight face, Natsu allowed his body to be covered with his flames.

"_Dragon Slayer's Secret Art, Crimson Lotus-_" The fire mage's voice was calm, almost cold to Rogue, who looked up with a terrified expression. Natsu's hands glowed from the flames powered by his emotions towards Lucy.

"No…No, stop this! Natsu Dragneel!" Rogue yelled.

"Rogue, I kept my promise to my future." Natsu eyed how the dragon they were own was falling closer and closer to the gate. He noticed that Lucy was behind a large pile of rubble, ready for the impact with tears in her eyes. "I kept my promise to Lucy, I'll be beside again. But Rogue, I promise you that I'll keep you out of the darkness." Natsu walked closer to Rogue, the flames around his fist beginning to flare about.

"**_FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!_**"

Natsu began punching Rogue at a high speed against Motherglare's body. After every punch connected with Rogue's body, explosions erupted on him and Motherglare. The impact of the exploding punches made the dragon fall to their doom faster, until it collided with the Eclipse gate. The gate began crumbling beneath the dragon, the doors fell apart from each other and the frame fell to the ground in large chunks.

Natsu had done it. He had destroyed the Eclipse gate.

The shrieking of the baby dragons echoed over the sounds of stone crashing against the ground as they turned into dust, as if they never existed in the first place. The dragons roared as they turned into specks of golden dust, returning to their own time.

"_Well done, Son of Igneel. I shall wait, till we meet again_," Atlas Flame roared as he became golden light.

Natsu stood up among the rubble, looking down to the crater a dragon who disappeared had just created. Rogue was leaning back against a piece of rock created by the impact, his eyes blank as a sign of being unconscious.

He panted, he was tied. He had saved their futures. Saved _Lucy's _future. He wouldn't let anything disrupt it ever again as long as he as alive and breathing.

"H-H-Hey…" Rogue's voice rasped out.

Natsu's eyes narrowed and the beat up body. "You're still awake?"

"You could have killed me instead, you know? Your mistake," Rogue whispered. "A year from now, protect Frosch."

"What are you talking about?"

"A year from now, Frosch dies, and I let the shadows in me take over." Rogue began letting tears fall from his eyes. "_Please…_" His voice now barely above a whisper. "_I didn't want any of this to happen. Stop me Natsu Dragneel. Stop _him _from killing Frosch._"

"Stop who?"

As Rogue spoke, rubble crashed down behind them, somewhere. But that didn't stop Natsu's hearing ability to hear Rogue say the name. The fire Dragon Slayer's onyx eyes widened. Not wanting to believe what he had heard, but Future Rogue said it. Frosch would die because of _him._ And everything that happened this night, happened because of his stupid mistake.

Natsu wouldn't let him take the little Exceed away from Rogue, not if it led to a devastating future without the guild…Without Lucy.

"I'll stop him." Natsu's eyes locked with Rogue's red one. "I'll protect everyone's future, including yours Rogue."

Rogue looked in disbelief before clenching his teeth together, closing his eye. Tears fell freely onto his cheeks and onto the rubble filled ground.

"_Thank you, and I'm sorry, Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia._" With a final breath, Rogue dispersed into golden light.

Natsu's breathing managed to become steady, but with a deep breath in, Natsu released a roar into the night.

* * *

_It's a little spoiler, referencing to the recent chapter that came out. But not enough to give away from those who don't read the manga or read the new chapter. Sorry again if the fights weren't as epic as you'd hope. I tried though. Most of the day was spent uploading the most recent chapters and writing out this one._

_The next chapter is going to be the last, followed by an epilogue. Oh god, I'm scared. I really loved writing this story, and was probably one of my favourites I've written so far. Hope you're all looking forward to the grand finale!_

_Thanks again for stopping by, Tati_


	14. Final Chapter

_**Finding Their Lost Light**_

**Chapter XIV**

I put all my emotions into that single roar. I roared for my guild. For my win. For my pain…For Lucy.

Buildings still crumbled around him, the sounds resonating in the dusty air. Sirens echoed in the air, mages in the area shouting to meet up at the palace garden. I smelt blood in the air, I smelt my friends coming near. But Lucy's was the closest.

I felt rain beginning to fall on my face. Natural rain, not the kind that Juvia conjures up when she upset back home. I knew I could just heat up the air around me so the raindrops would evaporate, but I wanted to feel the sensation of the water cooling down my overheating body.

It felt nice, the way my clothes became damp with the rain or how my spiky hair now matted down and clung to my skin. My pink locks stuck to my forehead, covering my eyes. Hiding the blank look I held in them.

The dragons were gone, everyone was safe. We would be able to go back home together and go on more adventures together.

I was tired, I want to say empty. But, how could I say that when I just saved everyone's futures? Saved _Lucy's _future? Then again, if Future Rogue was correct, my job wasn't done. Not yet, but I'd have to wait until the time came…Only then I would be sure that Lucy would be safe in the end.

I heard light footsteps coming towards me. I didn't need to turn around to tell it was her. She's always walked softly after a battle and her sweet scent was all I smelled in the air directly around me. I heard her barely whisper my name.

The next second, thin arms wrapped themselves around my waist as golden hair landed on my shoulder, tickling my neck, from the force. Smaller hands gripped my vest as one of my hands gripped the cloak tied around me with the other intertwining itself with her fingers. I smelt salt coming off her, leaving a distasteful smell in my nose when it mingled with her natural scent. I gripped her fingers tighter, as a sign of comfort, when I felt her shoulders heave and shake as she held back sobs coursing through her smaller body.

I tried to do the same, holding back my sobs. In the end I only managed to stay quiet as tears flowed from my eyes. Taking a deep breath and gripping her hands with both of mine, I leaned back to her hug.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" My voice was quiet, Lucy probably wouldn't be able to hear it if she wasn't so close to me right now.

"No…Not really. Just…" My blonde paused as she took a shaky breath in. "Thank you…Natsu."

"Yeah, always Luce."

I'll always protect her. No matter the odds, even if they were against us, I'll put my life on the line to protect her. Lucy's the light in the guild, the one who always brings life into our family. She's _my _light, my _life_. The one who'll always pull me out of the darkness.

* * *

I never thought that death would be me alone, surrounded by bright light. I actually thought, considering the hell I raised to Gramps and the Magic Council, I'd be given a one-way ticket to hell. Or at least be surrounded by darkness again. Not this calming silence in light that was warm and made me calm. This wasn't hell or heaven.

Maybe I'll see Lucy here, but most likely not. Lucy's definitely going to heaven. There's no way that sweet, pure-hearted Lucy would be sent to hell.

Soon enough, the light began to fade away. The end of the line for me. It was comfortable to let the light slip away from me, like how I let Lucy slip from my grasp. It was simply destiny for the darkness to take over my body.

Once the darkness surrounded me was when I noticed that I felt wind brushing against me. I could feel. I smelt the air around me, the scents from the forest, flowers, and my guild mates. I heard the distant sound of water running down a river along with the chirping of birds and the wind dancing through grass.

I slowly opened my eyes, only to quickly close them from the bright sunlight hanging directly over me. Rubbing my eyes, I opened them fully to see myself lying down in a golden field. I sat up fully, looking around. Behind me was a lush green forest where the sounds of the river came from. Birds flew overhead, flying towards their next adventure.

I…I was alive. But ho-

My eyes widened in realization. They…Lucy, the guild, and even my _past self_ had managed to save the future of everyone. My future with the guild and Lucy. With one hand on the ground to support my body, I let the other run through my spiky pink locks while letting out a shaky breath.

"Natsu," I heard a quiet voice next to me. I turned my head quickly to see a little blue body lying down on his back beside me. "Why are you moving so much?" He must've been sleeping on my stomach before I sat up and knocked him off me.

I let out a shaky laugh as I picked up my partner and held him in the air. The blue feline's eyes were narrowed with tiredness and he was whining at me for moving him. But I couldn't care less, Happy was alive and that truly meant that I was too.

"HAPPY!" I yelled before pulling him to my chest and hugging the freaking daylights outta him. "You're okay!"

"_UFF!_ Of course…I would…be! Now-" I heard Happy struggle to breathe in my grasp, but I couldn't _possible_ let him go after not seeing my Happy for months. "_Can you let me go?!_"

"Nuh-uh!" I said in the tone of a child.

"Oi Flame Head! You're gonna kill the poor cat!"

_That voice!_ I smelled the air: the scent of crisp water and wet dog.

Looking over my shoulder, I nearly jumped up in glee and was _actually_ ecstatic to see a naked chest with a dark blue guild mark on it. He looked the same, some scars from battles I have or hadn't seen, and a cold look on his face.

"GRAY!" I yelled. "You're okay too!" I let go of Happy, hearing a gasp of relief from him, as I stood up to grab Gray by his bare shoulders. "This may be the _only_ time I'll be ever to see you Stripper! Half naked and all!" I closed my eyes and smiled to my other best friend _slash_ rival-for-life.

"Huh? You lost your mind or somethin' Dragon Breath?" Gray grunted out.

I clenched my teeth as I felt a vein pop from my forehead. I knew I shouldn't expect him to be all happy as I am. But he was totally picking a fight and I was glad he was for once.

Opening a single eye to playfully _slash_ agitatedly glare at the ice mage. "What d'ya say, _Ice Princess_?"

"Ya pickin' a fight with me, _Ash-For-Brains_?"

"You wanna go, _Underwear Prince?_"

"That's it!" Gray had his fists together. "It's on Natsu!"

I smirked, letting my fist to be lit with flames. _My_ flames. I relished the tingly feeling I felt having my magic coursing through my body once again.

_Oh. How I missed my fire!_ "You're on Snowflake!"

"BOYS!" An all-too familiar booming female voice. "Do I hear _fighting_?"

Almost immediately, Gray and I went into our act. Wrapping our arms around each other's shoulders, acting all buddy-buddy, just in time to put on a show for a red-haired demon-_I mean lady_. Her strawberry scent was unchanged and she looked as terrifying as ever wearing her silver armour and holding a sword in her hand.

"What? Fighting? _Us _Erza?" Gray said exasperatedly. "Never, right Natsu?"

"Aye!" I said, half-annoyed but half-pleased with the usual routine.

"Well," Erza said, putting her sword away, "I suppose it's alright for even the best of friends to fight."

I felt Gray's grip on my shoulder tighten, relaying a message to me: _We did this for nothing?!_

I gripped his shoulder a little tighter, replying to him: _Don't worry, I'll get you next time._

Letting go of Gray, I looked around. Of course I was happy with seeing most of my teammates alive and well again. But, that was it. _Most_ of my team was here, she wasn't.

"Hey," I said, raising a hand to my neck to scratch it, "where's L-"

I stopped midsentence. I didn't feel it. My scarf! It wasn't around my neck. In a panic, I started running around in circles, looking for my scarf. My team looked at me with wide eyes.

"What are you doing Natsu?" Happy asked, flying above my head.

"He's being weird again," Gray whined.

"He's always weird, Gray," Erza said.

"Where is it?!" I yelled, nearly going into losing-my-shit mood.

"Where's what?"

"My scar-"

I stopped running to look at the one who just spoke to me. A voice I hadn't heard in what felt like _years_. My eyes locked with doe brown ones.

Lucy stood in front of me, back to the forest where she probably was hiding. Her sweet peach scent didn't have the disgusting side of blood, sweat, and dragon mingling with it, it was pure. Her skin was brighter than those years with the dragons, glowing even. Even her hair looked more golden than I had ever seen it in all the years I've been next to her. Finishing it all off with her trademark outfit, was that amazing smile I loved.

"Jeez Natsu, what's with you? You're freaking out," she said. Her voice didn't waver with fear or wasn't racked with sobs.

"I…I" I couldn't help it anymore, I ran from my place next to the rest of our team over to her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, fearing that everything here was a dream and I would lose her again if I didn't hold her close. "_Luce…_"

Lucy was taken aback. "Wha-What's with you? Were you going crazy without your scarf again?"

"Huh?"

She pulled back to hold up my white scarf with her left hand. "I went to wash it for you down by the river. It was already dirty, with all the mud wrestling with everyone else."

"Oh…" I said, mesmerized that it wasn't ripped or red with blood. "Thanks, Luce."

She sighed, raising her hands to wrap my scarf on my neck. "What will you do without me?"

I blinked before holding her close to me again. I didn't want to let her go, not yet at least. I felt Lucy wiggle her arms around my waist.

I felt my breathing go ragged for a bit before I answered her, "Hopefully, I don't ever have to find out…_again._" I whispered the last past so she wouldn't hear.

"Hm?"

I laughed, pulling away from her to show my giant childish smile. But I wasn't able to stop the tears from pricking my eyes. "Nothing, nothing at all Luce. Everything's fine!"

Lucy looked at the tears before raising her right hand to wipe them away. "Oh Natsu," she said with a smile I could never get old of.

"_They lllike each other!_" Happy teased above their heads, circling the air above them.

Lucy blushed about to pull her hand away from my face until I held her hand in place on my cheek and grinned, probably a blush dusting my cheeks.

"Of course Happy," Gray said.

"They are married after all," Erza said, walking away from us.

"Huh?"

Gray, Erza, and Happy went ahead of us in the golden field, leaving me and Lucy behind. Lucy pulled her hand away from my face before grabbing my hand with her left. It was only then I noticed a simple pair of silver rings on our left hands.

"Let's go Natsu," Lucy said grabbing my left hand with her right hand. "Let's continue our adventure."

I looked further into the field, seeing everyone that I thought I'd lost for years, alive. Behind our team was the rest of our guild, rowdy and quirky as ever. I let a large grin form on my face, offsetting the few tears of happiness that ran down my face.

I gripped Lucy's hand tighter, rubbing my thumb on her guild mark. "Let's go home Luce."

I wouldn't lose her again. I wouldn't lose anyone again. I would make sure that they'll be protected. No matter if I end up broken beyond repair, nothing would take my family's happiness away. Nothing would take my Luce away from me. Nothing will stop me from finding my lost light.

* * *

_**Even in the dark,  
**__**They'll find each other.  
**__**They're drawn to one another,  
**__**No matter the distance and time.**_

_**Nothing would stop them  
**__**Finding their lost light.**_

_The End_

* * *

_*Gratefully bows* Thank you everyone for going on this crazy journey since I started writing this story. I would want to thank the reviewers for leaving amazing messages and critics for me and to the followers of this story who have so _patiently _waited__ for every new chapter! You all are so amazing! Writing this has be truly amazing and I have indeed made some new friends by connecting to some of you guys on this story! It has been an honour to write this story for you and to put a different twist to one of my favourite arcs in _Fairy Tail_. I'm thinking about writing a sequel to it, basing it off entries in Lucy's journal. Let me know what you think about it._

_I'll be continuing _The Clingy Mermaid_ when I can_ (probably once every few days or less)_ and updating _When We Enter Neverland _once a month__ because of the rad responses to it. I think, if you like post-apocalyptic futures with _Fairy Tail_, you should check it out._

_For now, please look forward to the epilogue of this story._

_Once again, thank you for reading. As always, let me know what you think via reviews or leaving me a PM. See you in the next story, Tati_


	15. Epilogue

_What's up everyone, Tati here_._ And welcome back to _Finding Their Lost Light_! As you can see and as promised, I uploaded the epilogue full of softness and fluffiness that everyone loves that comes with NaLu! Enjoy!_

* * *

**_Finding Their Lost Light_**

**Epilogue**

Her screams still echoed in my mind. When I touched her arm while placing it on my future self, I saw what Lucy saw back in that hallway. Sure, I put it off, making sure that Ultear and Meredy wouldn't make me sit still. I needed to get to Rogue, _before_ he got to her. I didn't have time to freak out over how Lucy died, and that future wouldn't change if I just stayed back. I was going to change it, and I _did_ in the end.

But, that didn't seal that vision that entered my mind, for what seemed to be a split second, away. Last night was probably the first of many nightmares that would follow. The nightmare of watching Lucy being torn apart by dragons at Rogue's command.

I knew that my mission wasn't done yet, not for Rogue at least. I would have to wait a year to stop _him_ from killing Frosch, then that future with Lucy dying would be erased. Lucy wouldn't die and she would still be in the guild with me and Happy and the rest of the team.

I vowed to myself that I would protect Lucy, and that nothing else would happen to her after this battle. But, it didn't stop me from being scared when I was on my own.

* * *

I was standing alone on the balcony outside of the party in the grand ballroom. I hadn't seen Lucy for a few days, before I made the greatest entrance to a party of all time. But Erza and some of the other girls said that she was down in the dumps…Probably after seeing my death. Another reason to why I practically stole the crown and royal robes from the king, just to make my Luce smile.

It was short-lived. I didn't try to avoid Lucy, but whenever I saw her, I saw her mangled, dead. I knew I was probably hurting her more than I should, but I couldn't help it. It hurt, I just wanted to get over it and make sure Lucy knew that everything was fine before we continued this adventure of ours.

But that didn't seem anytime soon, I was leaning my head on the balcony railing. I was breathing deeply, visible shaking. I should really figure out how to keep my mind stable when trying to make Luce's too. I know I didn't lose her yet, but it was all too real…The thoughts of the possibly of _actually_ losing her, I couldn't stop them from staying in my head.

I nearly didn't hear the doors leading into the balcony open behind me with the sound of heels on the tiled-floor. The footsteps stopped abruptly and the scent of peach entered my range.

"Oh, sorry Natsu. I didn't know you were out here." I looked up, seeing a sad smile on the blonde's lips. She wore a pale pink ball gown that, if she was in proper lighting, would match his hair colour. Her blonde hair was in a clip. "I'll go if you'd like."

I stood up, turning around to completely face her. I leaned against the railing with my arms crossed on my chest. I put on a half-assed grin. "It's fine Luce, it's probably better if I'm not alone actually."

"Really?" Lucy didn't sound convinced. She walked over to me, leaning on the railing beside me. "Didn't seem like you wanted company for the past few days Natsu."

I was hoping that she wouldn't notice, play it off as being injured from the battle with Rogue or tired from the fight with Sting and Rogue. But Lucy's smart, like _really_ smart. Smarter than the rest of our guild, which for this moment, I wish she wasn't.

I didn't answer her, making her shift her gaze from the side of my head to the capital's lit torches in the streets. "Natsu, you've been avoiding me since the Dragon War."

I laughed, "I haven't-"

"You and I know that you're a horrible liar Natsu. And you know how I feel about it when you lie to _me_."

My smile went away, a serious feeling settling on us. I leaned my head back, looking to the stars. "You know, before I met you, I didn't like the stars…They always remind me of the nights with Igneel."

"Natsu, you're stalling-"

"I'm not." I snapped my head to look into Lucy's doe eyes. "I didn't like the stars, I thought it would always be like that until I meet Igneel again. But I met you."

With a sigh, I turned my body around to lean on the railing beside her. My elbows held up my body as the buttons pressed into my chest as I leaned over the edge slightly, setting my eyes on the destroyed courtyard of the palace where the remains of the Eclipse Gate were scattered.

"I…I really like spending time with you Luce. It was like, I got something back. Something I was missing since Igneel left." I looked ahead of me, looking at the mountains in front of the city. "Like I was travelling in the middle of night with no moon or stars, but I couldn't use my fire to light my way." I paused. "But then I found you.

"With you beside me, I feel alive again. That I'll be able to deal with anything that comes our way. Like you sparked a light in me, or something. And I don't want to lose that, I don't want to lose _you._"

"But you won't," Lucy said, looking at him. She sighed, staring out to the mountains. "What happened with Rogue and the dragons, won't happen. I…won't die."

I noticed her shiver slightly, probably thinking of her future self's end. Without thinking, I placed my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. Her hair fell out of the clip, falling on her shoulders almost like a halo. Her peach scent nearly drove me crazy and I had to stop myself before I took her then and there.

Placing my head on her bare shoulder, I grazed my lips on her pale skin. I heard her inhale sharply and flinch upon contact. "I won't let you Luce, not if _I_ have anything to do with it."

"Natsu…" she whispered.

"I still want to go all around the country with you, going on crazy adventures with the rest of the team. I want to enjoy the stars at night with you by my side, Luce."

I pulled away, placing my hands on her shoulders. Her hair glowed on her, her eyes wide bright, and a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"I'm not letting go of my light when I just found it after years of living in the dark."

I loved Lucy. And with that, I couldn't let her die. Not when I could change the future still and not when her life was _practically_ in my hands.

"You're not going to die, not while I'm around." I didn't notice that I was shaking, slightly gripping Lucy's shoulders tightly, until I felt a hand on my chest and the other sliding underneath my scarf to grace my neck with her nimble fingers.

My onyx eyes met with doe brown that nearly released tears. But there was a warm, and I think _loving_, smile on Lucy. Letting go of her, I had one hand on her waist while the other was stationed on her cheek, stroking the tears away with my thumb.

"I know you won't let me Natsu."

I grinned, but it was full-hearted, at Lucy, who closed her eyes and smiled largely back at me.

"Hey, Luce?"

Lucy opened her eyes, looking at me expectedly. "Yes Natsu?"

"Lucy," I paused for a quick second, "I-"

"What are you to doing here?!" an irritating voice said, interrupting me.

"Aye!"

A tick mark appeared on my forehead before I glared at the culprits. "Do you guys freaking _mind_?!" I yelled.

"What?" the shirtless raven-head asked. "You weren't possibly doing anything worthwhile."

"_You wanna say that again, Stripper?_" I growled, letting go of Lucy and stomping over to him.

"_You wanna go, Ash Face?_" Stripper growled back.

"BOYS!" Erza appeared, peaking her redhead through the doorway.

Gray grabbed my arm and we immediately went into our act.

"We're not fighting! Right Natsu?" he said.

"Aye!"

"Oh, I was just getting you to come in before I finish all the sweets," Erza said, but smiled in the end. "But it's good to hear that you're getting along so well."

Lucy laughed.

"Well, chop-chop," Erza said, disappearing into the ballroom with Happy and Gray in tow.

I was about to follow, when I stopped to look at Lucy. She really was a light, she stood out in an amazing way with the night backdrop of Crocus.

I held out my hand, plastering a grin on my face. "Let's continue on our adventure!"

Lucy looked stunned until a smile broke out on her face. She grabbed my hand and held it tight in her grasp, almost like if she let go, she would lose me. As if that would _ever _happen.

"Yeah."

I dragged her back to the party where the rest of our family stood around, waiting for us. Smiles were everywhere, we didn't have to worry about the future. Everyone was alive now, and that's all we should be focusing on.

I had my light beside me, and I would make sure that nothing would put it out.

* * *

_A big thanks to every single reader who waited patiently for every single chapter! Means a lot! I'm thinking about changing my pen-name, but I'm not too sure about it. I was told to start 'making a brand/name for myself as a writer, and I was thinking of Tator Tats _(a nickname my friend gave me a while ago that I really like)_. But that'll probably something later on once I start a blog or something. Let me know what you think though._

_Once again, thank you all for reading. As always let me know what you guys think by leaving a review or sending me a PM. And I'll see you in the next story, Tati_


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